


Through the Blizzard

by TragicallyAlissa



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Ending, Drug Use, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-05-16 11:00:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14810084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TragicallyAlissa/pseuds/TragicallyAlissa
Summary: The mysterious anger filled aura of Nathan Prescott has Violet entranced, even though he tries to warn her to stay away. Even through the adventures of being Max Caulfield's friend, she struggles to stay away from him. But with the increasing threat of a town-leveling tornado and a shocking discovery, Violet and Nathan's paths intertwine as fate gives them a chance to save each other.





	1. Introduction

“Nathan Prescott is a force to be reckoned with. He’s unstable.” Max Caulfield nudged her friend who was staring at Nathan dreamily. “I’m serious, don’t engage.”

 

She looked away with a sigh, “Like he’s even noticed me. I’m the new kid and he’s the president of the Vortex Club. There’s no way I’d ever make it on his radar.”

“Violet, hey.” Max wraps an arm around her shoulder, “You’re the new kid, sure, but you’re also a cheerleader. That automatically makes your popular or something. Besides, there’s plenty of other guys who would totally eat you out.” She coughs and smiles, “Sorry, I meant up. Eat you up.” Violet groans and shoves her away playfully, smiling and sticking a spoonful of yogurt in her friend’s mouth. 

“Just like Warren would love to eat you out.” Max chokes and laughs nervously, yogurt drips down her chin. “Ew,” She scoots away, quickly noticing an awkward boy standing a few feet behind Max. Max notices her gaze and swipes her hand over her chin before covering her face in embarrassment. 

“H-Hey Max. Violet.” Warren fiddles with his Chemistry notebook and stares at his feet for a moment, at a loss for words. Violet pat the seat between Max and her and smiled devilishly. 

“Hey, you know, we were just talking about you. And movies. About how you two should go see one this weekend. Together.” A light blush hits Warren’s cheeks. “Something friends do often. Or something people do with their crush.” Max’s head pops up and she glares daggers at her. “Anyway,” She stands, “I’ve got to get to Mr. Jefferson’s class now. Bye!” She leaves the two of them to their awkward dance of avoidance and made her way up the steps of Blackwell Academy. 

She stopped to admire a squirrel holding a leaf. It nibbled the edge like it’s wondering if its edible. It stops chewing and stares at the leaf before letting it fall and scampering towards something else. She smiled fondly, thinking of her old home. She had lived in Alaska her whole life. She loved nature, but it lacked adventure. Nothing interesting really happened there. When her parents informed her of them moving to Arcadia Bay she was ecstatic. She hoped that maybe it’d turn out to be the island of treasure and adventure she’d been looking for. 

She walked past Principal Wells as he gazes across the sea of students and slowed to dig her camera out of her bag. As she rounded the corner, someone rammed into her, causing her to lose her grip on the camera and fall backward. She heard a string of profanity and a loud crack. She sat up to see Nathan Prescott standing before her, eyes blazing with anger.

“Watch where you’re going, dumbass.” His voice is strained as he tries to control his breathing, a sneer decorating his face.

She suddenly looked down to see her precious camera on the ground, glass from the lens strewn around. “Shit, fuck, no. No, no, no.” She scrambled to her knees and lifted the camera to inspect the damage done to it. It’s done for, there’s no fixing it. Tears threatened to blur her vision but she swallowed it to glare up at Nathan, lifting her hand for him to help her up. 

He just stared at the girl on the floor.

She smacked his knee, “Help me up, asshole.” She looked at him with annoyance and he quickly pulled her up. He had expected her to be heavier but was surprised when he nearly dragged her into him. 

She wobbled a bit, but gained her balance to brush dirt from her bottom, looking closely at Nathan. His light brown hair was mostly combed with the exception of a few strands that fell loose when they collided. His blue eyes seemed to lack emotion with the exception of a quick spark of interest, his pupils larger than most people’s.

His eyes narrowed, “What are you looking at?” He noticed that her eyes were green when they widened at him.

She opened her mouth, “Uh,” She looked down at her feet as the situation hit her. ‘Nathan freaking Prescott literally knocked me over.’ “Nothing, I’m sorry.” She clutched the broken camera in her hands and gasped lightly as the jagged glass of the lens dug into her finger. “Shit!” She noticed a large swell of blood escaping and brought it to her lips to lick the blood away. ‘Oh god. Is licking blood from a cut normal?’ Her face flushed as she dared a quick look at Nathan.

He stared at her. She thought she saw a flicker of interest run across his face before it became a blank slate, devoid of emotion. She had to withhold a shudder. She swallowed hard before she plastered on a believable smile and took a step away from Nathan.

“Well, it was fun running into you, thank you for the broken camera, and thanks for apologizing.” And with that she turned on her heel and sped to Mr. Jefferson’s class, leaving behind a baffled Nathan. She walked in and closed the door, hoping Nathan wouldn’t be the type of person to follow someone that basically insulted him. She shook her head and pushed all thoughts of him away.

She then noticed Kate Marsh standing by the window and made her way towards her, setting her stuff on the table. She didn’t notice Violet until she laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. 

“Oh, hey, Violet.” She smiled sadly, “Sorry, I was lost in thought.” 

“No worries, girly. I do that more often than not.” They looked outside to see students leisurely walking to their classes as the first bell rings. Violet saw Max and Warren walking side by side and pointed it out to Kate, “I set up the perfect opportunity for either of them to ask each other out. I swear if they don’t get together I’m gonna rage.” 

Kate lets out a breath of laughter, her stressed blue eyes lightening for a second, “Yeah, they’re definitely couple material.” 

“Hell yeah, they are!” She raised her fist for her to bump. After a moment of hesitation, Kate pounded hers and smiled a genuine smile. Violet couldn’t help but grin like she just won the lottery, as she was 110% pleased with getting the sad girl to smile. “Oh, BTW we really need to hang out soon, I’ve been missing my Kate Marsh time.” She nudged her shoulder. 

She nodded but looked unsure. She opened her mouth-probably to reject the offer- but Violet interrupted her, “Don’t answer yet. Think about it, then text me, mmkay? I’ll be watching my phone like a hawk.” Kate regards her for a second then shrugs, a small nod mixed in with it. 

The door opens and Max stumbles in with a red face, but a shy smile plays on her lips. “Welp looks like Marren Grahamfield is gonna be a thing,” Violet whispered to Kate as Max came over. “What’s up, Max?” She smugly smiled at her.

Instead of answering, she punched her hard on her upper arm. “Ow!” She rubbed the wounded area and pouted. 

“You’re a jerk and I hate you.” She said fast then mumbled, “but thank you…” 

She smirked, “So which one of you asked? I bet it was Warren.” She nodded and explained a drive-in movie date to ‘Go Ape!’ and how she was so relieved she didn’t have to ask.

Violet noticed Kate had spaced out and tapped her shoulder. Her eyes snap up to her and she shook her head softly as if shaking the thoughts that troubled her away. She gave her a small smile before turning and sitting in her usual chair. Violet moved to sit across from her and Max sat at a table by herself. She dragged her bag across the table and stared at the broken camera. Man, my parents are gonna be pissed. 

“Alright class,” Mr. Jefferson entered and a hush quickly fell over the class. Victoria Chase raised her hand and Violet noticed Max rolled her eyes. 

“Excuse me, Mark?” Her smile was sickly sweet as Mr. Jefferson tried to correct her, “Yeah, sure, whatever. Anyways, I just wanted to put it out there that I did, in fact, submit my photo to the ‘Everyday Heroes’ contest, so the rest of you should quit while you still have your dignity.” She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs with a pleased look on her face while Mr. Jefferson cleared his throat.

“Thank you, Victoria, for that delightful insight,” He addressed the class, “but don’t get discouraged, there’s still plenty of time to enter a photo. For those of you that were absent yesterday, the ‘Everyday Heroes’ deadline is this Friday. I’ll fly out with the winner to San Francisco where you’ll be feted by the art world. It’s great exposure and can kickstart a career in photography.” He went on to remind those who hadn’t turned in their photo including Violet, Max, Taylor, and Stella.

She looked at Max with raised eyebrows. She shrugs. Of course, she’s not going to give a submission. She shook her head at her as she rested her chin on her hand. 

Violet tried to pay attention to Mr. Jefferson but her thoughts kept going back to Nathan Prescott. Her hand tingles as she recalled how he pulled her up with such little effort. She cringed as the anger in his eyes stabbed through to the front of her mind. How can one person be filled with so much rage over simply running into someone in the hallway? She thought about the rumors regarding Nathan and started to wonder if they might be based on facts. After all, rumors are based on some semblance of truth. Why would Nathan Prescott be any different?

She heard a sharp intake of breath then a shaky release of it and looked behind her. Max gripped her chair with darting eyes, her bangs messy and frizzy. She turned in her seat to face the flustered girl better and looked at her. She quirked her eyebrow in a silent question, asking her if she was alright. Max just looked at her with a grimace. 

A paper ball flew across the room behind Mr. Jefferson’s back and hit Kate in the face. Violet’s eyes snap to find the person responsible to see Taylor hiding her smile behind a hand and shot her the dirtiest look she could muster. Taylor tried to play it off but got uncomfortable and scooted down in her seat and looked away, clearing her throat. 

She slid her hand across the table to tap on Kate’s notebook, “You good?” She whispered. She nods. Violet continues, “Do you want me to throw an open Sharpie at her?” A small smile forms on her face when Mr. Jefferson calls on the interrupting girl. 

“I see Violet would like to join the discussion.” A few classmates snickered. “Since you’re so eager to chat with Ms. Kate Marsh over here, answer me a question. When was the first recorded photograph taken?” 

She opened her mouth lamely. She had procrastinated on reading the assigned pages the night before. “1857.” She blurted out, shooting in the dark.

Mr. Jefferson’s lips squeezed into a frown, “Looks like someone didn’t do their homework like instructed.” Victoria’s hand lazily rose into the air. “Yes, Ms. Chase?”

“1826. It was the earliest known surviving photo taken by Joseph Nicephore. The image shows the view from an upstairs window at Niépce's estate, Le Gras, in the Burgundy region of France.” She smiled smugly at Violet, who gave her a sneer.

Mr. Jefferson’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “That’s...right, Victoria. Thank you.” She winked at him and he looked away, quickly. 

Violet dragged a hand down her face and looked at her notebook. She had doodled small hearts and a butterfly. She didn’t much care for pencils and paper, instead opting for paint and canvases. That didn’t mean she couldn’t draw well. She picked up her pencil and rested it on the paper. A little flame forms, followed by a flower falling into the fire. She set the pencil down and looked up, watching Mr. Jefferson lecture, not quite listening to him speaking. She watched his hands in particular. She’s always thought he was incredibly sexy for a teacher and she caught herself thinking about what those hands could do. He motions very enthusiastically as he made points. He brings them up to his face and she noticed him looking at her. He made a camera out of his hand and tapped it like he was capturing a picture. She felt herself blushing so she pinched herself. ‘Bad, Violet. No. Victoria has enough thirst for Mark Jefferson, I don’t want to be like her.’

SNAP. Violet turned to see Max’s retro camera spitting out a photo. 

“Shh, I believe Max has just taken what you kids call a selfie. A dumb word for a wonderful photographic tradition. And Max...has a gift.” Mr. Jefferson paused. “Of course, as you all know, the photo portrait has been popular since the early 1800s. Your generation was not the first to use selfie-expression.” He snorted. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The point remains that the portraiture has always been a vital aspect of art, and photography, for as long as it’s been around.”

Mr. Jefferson leaned against a table parallel to Max and regarded her, intently. “Now, Max, since you’ve captured our interest and clearly want to join in on the conversation, can you please tell us the name of the process that gave birth to the first self-portraits?” 

Violet glanced at her, as did everyone else in the room. She looked down at her hands with a tomato face, and her friend found herself raising a hand to help her out.

“Ah, looks like Violet would like to redeem herself.” Mr. Jefferson’s smile turned her insides to jelly, suddenly making her feel self-conscious. 

She breathed in. ‘I know this.’ Her art history teacher taught this at her old school. She knew this easy peasy. “Louis Daguerre. He was a French painter who created ‘daguerreotypes’ a process that gave portraits a sharp reflective style, like a mirror.” It all came out as a rush and she smiled when she finished. 

“Thank you, Violet. You may have fumbled earlier, but you’ve definitely made up for it, so good job.” Mr. Jefferson smiled and started explaining further into the Daguerreian Process, which she tuned out because she already knew all about it. 

Max kicked a pen cap over towards her and she looked over at her. She mouths ‘thank you’ and she nods back in response. 

The bell rang and chairs scraped across the floor as students hurried to the door. Violet packed her things in her bag in order from biggest to smallest, before gently placing her broken camera on top of everything. She turned towards Max and leaned her hip on the table as she snapped a picture of some writing on a desk. 

She shoulders her bag and poked Max’s shoulder, “So what happened earlier? You looked pretty out of it.” 

Max’s eyebrows drew together, “I had a weird dream.” She paused. “Well, I’m not really sure what it was. I’ll talk to you about it later, but I have to go to the bathroom really quick.” She turned toward the door but shoots a stern look at her, “Don’t follow me.”

Before Violet can respond, Max bolts out of the door. Mr. Jefferson calls out to her but she didn’t come back. She shook off the weird vibe Max left and looked around. She turned around in Kate’s direction and noticed her staring at a piece of crumpled paper. Her bottom lip trembled slightly, but she pulls off a calm face. 

Violet slowly inched her way and peeked at the paper. “Dear Kate, we love your porn video xoxo Blackwell Academy.” With a little heart to sign it. Wow, Taylor. Lame. 

“Hey Kate, you alright?” She smiled softly at her. 

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for asking.” She struggles to return a smile, but it was good enough for her. 

“Well, I just want to let you know that I’m here for you. If you ever need to talk or something, call me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.” She scribbled her phone number down on a post-it note and pressed it onto her notebook. “You’re cool, Kate Marsh, I wanna hang out sometime.”

She looks down at her number and a small smile graces her face, and even though sadness is still laced within it, she’s glad she was able to do a little bit to make her day better. 

“Thank you, Violet. I’ll make sure to text you. I’ll see you later.” She rests a hand on her shoulder as she stands, before ducking out of the classroom. 

She sighs. Poor Kate Marsh. She went to ONE Vortex Club party and suddenly there’s a viral video of her making out with different people. I watched it once and you can totally tell she’s not sober. She was stumbling everywhere and could barely stand on her own, let alone think rationally. Of course, Victoria had filmed and posted it, although staff at Blackwell Academy won’t do anything about it.

She noticed the ball of paper Taylor had thrown was still on the table so she grabbed it and shredded it, before tossing it into the trash. Taylor. Ugh. One of Victoria’s minions. A mean girl by definition, but not bad by herself. She has a personality but when she’s around Victoria, she stuffs it down and does whatever she’s told so that she stays in her good graces. ‘I don’t understand why someone like Victoria Chase has to be mean. She’s already beautiful and rich, which automatically makes her popular, so her being a bitch is totally unnecessary.’

Violet made her way to the door and opened it, but Mr. Jefferson called her name. She let the door close and turned back to him. “Is there a problem?” 

He shakes his head, “No, nothing like that Violet. I was just wondering if anything was wrong. You interrupted during class, which is unlike you, and you didn’t do the reading last night. If there’s something going on, you can talk to me.” 

She squints at him. Is he serious? “I’m good. I mean, someone made me break my camera earlier but other than that I’m completely fine.” She crosses her arms slightly, “Kate Marsh is the one you should be more worried about. Have you not noticed how depressed she’s been lately?” 

He takes a deep breath, “Yes, I’ve noticed Ms. Marsh hasn’t been acting normal lately, but I’ve talked with her and she hasn’t wanted to confide in me.” He leans against the wall and shoves his hands in his pockets, “What did you say about someone making you break your camera?” 

Her face heats up before she can stop it and she mentally cursed her body for the reaction. “Um, I was on my way here when I grabbed my camera from my bag.” She gently pulled it out to show him. “I was going around the corner and I ran into Nathan Prescott. Like full on. We both fell, but my camera got it worst. He didn’t even apologize, he’s such an ass.” She pressed her lips together. ‘I probably shouldn’t drag other students in front of a teacher.’

He takes her camera and pops out the SD card, hands it to her and sets the camera on his desk. He opens a metal photography crate and stares for a second before plopping a different camera in her hands. “Here. Use this for now. I’m gonna take your camera and fix it up for you. The only catch is that I expect a submission for the ‘Everyday Heroes’ contest. No excuse now.” 

She opens her mouth to reject the camera but pauses. ‘I won’t have an operational camera until it’s fixed and what if I see something super bomb that I just have to photograph but I don’t have a camera? I could possibly beat Victoria. I don’t even really care about going to San Francisco, I just want to see the look on Victoria’s face when I win.’

She smiles at him, “Thanks, Mr. Jefferson. I’ll do my best.” She places the new camera in her bag and says goodbye before hurrying out the door. She speed walks down the hall to the bathroom. Suddenly the fire alarm goes off.

Students groan and make their way outside. She shoves her fingers in her ear and turns to the main doors as a blue-haired girl shoves past her and runs out of the building. She frowns and stops, pushing her way out of the swarm of kids to stand against the lockers to get her bearings.

A red flash of color catches her attention and she notices Nathan coming out of the girl’s bathroom. He looks pissed as he scans the crowd for someone. His gaze stops on Violet and her heart stutters. Oh, God. He takes a step but hesitates. He shoves something inside his jeans and her breathing stops. What that a...gun?

Panicking now, she looks around to see if anyone else saw it, but only a few stragglers are left behind. Leaving her in plain sight of Nathan. She curls her fists and tucks them into her jeans. She lowers her head to let her brown hair cover her face and awkwardly made her way outside. 

She breathed in fresh air and immediately hid behind a large football player as he chats with a large group of friends. She watches the doors, waiting for Nathan. She takes off her sweater and puts her hair up in a ponytail, hoping that if he saw her from behind, he wouldn’t recognize her. 

Nathan slams open the doors, stomping down the stairs, quickly looking around before turning and walking in the direction of the dorms. A second later, Max comes out. Her face is paler than usual and she looks uncomfortable. 

Violet called out to her. She looked at the girl. She squints. Her mouth forms an “O” and she comes approaches her. “Sorry, I couldn’t tell it was you. I’ve never seen you with your hair up, it was weird.” She shakes her head and laughs nervously. 

“Did that on purpose. Anyway, did you run into Nathan in the bathroom?” 

Her eyebrows shoot upwards, “Kind of, why?” 

She made a face and jerked her head and start walking. “I saw him come out of there.” She lowers her voice. “I think he has a gun.” 

“Shit…” She stops and looks around. “Listen, I have to tell you something. I know this is gonna sound crazy but… I think I can rewind time.” She stares at her, waiting for a response.

She stares back. What? “Prove it.” 

She stares at the group of football players and clicks her tongue. She waits, watching them as they jostle each other, getting hyped about practice. Suddenly, Zachary throws a football toward a redhead with his hands together, ready to catch it but a strong gust of wind pushes it off course and hits a blonde kid in the side of his head. The group of football players burst into loud laughter. 

Max raises her arm and rotates her wrist. Confusion blossoms on her face as she tries her other arm. She put her arm down and shakes her head, “Maybe I’m going crazy.” Her phone beeps and she glances at the screen. “Come on, I’ll tell you what happened earlier but I need to grab Warren’s flash drive real quick.” Violet shrugs and agrees, bewildered.


	2. Violet

Max and I got Warren’s flash drive. After 15 minutes, and going through Victoria Chase’s room. Long story short, Dana had borrowed the flash from Max’s room so we went to get it from her but Juliet had locked her in her room because she thought she was having sex with Zachary behind her back. She said Victoria had told her about it. Max tried to get Juliet to let Dana out, but she was insistent on punishing her. So, Max and I went and searched for any evidence that Victoria was lying. We went through her desk, her bookshelf, and her laptop. Max rearranged the photos on the wall by the door to look like a huge middle finger. I also might have borrowed a Cartier necklace. It was dusty, so it was obvious Victoria never wore it! I stole a band-aid from her drawer for the finger I cut on my camera lens, too. 

We found an email confirming that Dana was innocent and it was actually Victoria sleeping with Zachary instead. Juliet felt bad, to say the least. Then the wrath shifted and she left to hunt down her cheating boyfriend. 

Max grabbed the flash drive from Dana and hurried me out of the dorms before I could catch up with her.

“Dana’s pregnant.” Max blurted. 

My eyes widened, “How the hell do you know?” I whisper. I don’t want anyone else to overhear because if Dana wanted people to know, they’d know. 

“I saw the test in a box on the floor. I didn’t pick it up but I saw it was positive.” 

I shake my head and look back at the dorms, “It’s none of our business if she wanted to tell us she would have yesterday when we were hanging out.” 

She mulls that over then nods, “You’re right. We should meet up with Warren, anyway.” 

We walk through the dorm parking lot to the main campus area. I made a mental note to keep an eye out for Nathan, still cautious about him having a gun on school property. 

“Hey,” I tap Max on the shoulder with my knuckles, “You didn’t finish your story. You started it, but then we got sidetracked with the Juliet drama.” 

She furrows her brows for a second then nods, “Did I show you the picture I took of the blue butterfly?” I shake my head, so she pulls a polaroid out of her bag and hands it to me.

I couldn’t help but gasp. It looked so ethereal like it didn’t belong in this dimension, let alone on Earth. The electric blue of its delicate wing seemed to glitter, even through the photograph. It was like I was holding a frame, and I could just reach through and touch it. I knew how silly that was, but the entire photograph felt alive. I hand it back to Max and shiver from the lack of its presence. “That’s so trippy.” It came out as a whisper, so I was unsure if Max heard me or not. 

“Anyway, after I took this, Nathan barged into the bathroom. I was hidden all the way at the end of the stalls. He was talking to himself in the mirror like he was giving himself a pep talk.” Her face twisted into a look of confusion. “He definitely skipped his doses today. He was saying that he owned this town and that everyone was his bitch. He was pacing a lot and looked super on edge. Then a girl with blue hair came in. They started talking and then it was arguing and then Nathan pulled-” 

“Violet!” Max was interrupted by a male voice. We’d both gotten so into her story we didn’t notice Luke Parker casually strolling towards us. I was a little frustrated by him disrupting, but I was mostly relieved. I wanted to stay in denial that Nathan Prescott had a firearm. 

“Hey, Luke.” I smiled at him, opening my arms and giving him a quick hug. “How’s the loner life treating you?” 

He laughed, his dark brown eyes rolling at me, “Great, I love being shoved into lockers on a weekly basis.” He wore a blue hoodie with a jean vest over it and his favorite hat perched on his head. He tipped it in greeting to Max. He turned his attention back to me. “Thanks again for that one time.” 

I put a hand up, “You don’t have to thank me every time you see me. Zachary was being an asshole so I had to knock him down a level.” 

“Well, you could have been like any other popular kid and ignored it. Or laugh.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “You’re like the only person I’ll hang out with by choice. No offense, Max.” She snorted and said something about walking on ahead. 

We stood there in a comfortable silence, both okay with not speaking. I took the chance to look him over again. His black hair was hidden under his usual hat and looked messy. He had that cute boyish face, you know, the kind you’d want to date as a freshman before discovering the bad boys, with the sharp features. Luke was like the boy next door. And he was completely fine with that. 

He suddenly smiled at me with twinkling dark eyes. 

“What?” I couldn’t hold back the smile that tugged at my own lips.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer. I won’t even charge you.” He winked and damn my face for warming up. 

“Oh really?” I challenged him. He held his ground and didn’t say anything, only smirked at me knowingly. “Fine.” I took out the camera Mr. Jefferson lent me, suddenly very glad that he did. I raise the camera to look at him through the lens. He doesn’t pose as most people would, but instead just stands there and looks straight into the camera. I snap the photo and then instantly take two more, grinning like a mad woman. 

His mouth opened and his hand flew to it in mock surprise, “Now I’ll have to charge you, ma’am.” 

“I’ll make sure my handsome model gets his salary, don’t worry.” I wink before raising the camera again and catching the moment a light blush colored his skin. I smile to myself for being moderately good at flirting. The smile drops when I see Nathan behind Luke through the lens, storming towards the parking lot. 

“Shit.” I put the camera away and run after him. Luke’s confused questions follow me as I hope that Nathan just stomps to his car a lot. I see Max and Warren a little ways away, sitting on a car and chatting, clearly not noticing the trouble heading their way. “Max!” I shout, causing Nathan to look over his shoulder at me, his scowl deepening further. 

I catch up to him and step in front of him so he couldn’t advance any further. “You again? If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave before you get hurt.” 

“Get out of here Prescott. Your company isn’t wanted.” I notice Luke standing about 10 feet away from Nathan, looking worried. 

He was right to be worried. Nathan’s eyes filled with so much rage it scared the absolute shit out of me, but I stood my ground and didn’t let my fear show. I could feel my hands and knees starting to shake, but I forced them to still. 

“Nobody tells me what to do.” His voice dripped with unspoken threats. 

I decided to poke the raging bear. “Fuck. Off.” If I had any common sense I would have started running, because Nathan’s face turned an entirely different shade. He got in my face and lightly pushed me back, testing the waters. But even through the anger, I could feel his hesitancy to lash out. 

“This is between me and that bitch, Max, so move.” His nose flared as he shot her a look. 

“No, she’s my friend. If you’ve got something to say to her, say it, but I’m not leaving.” I stood straighter and squared my shoulders, not wanting to seem smaller than him. Given the look in his eyes, I probably should’ve been scared, but I wasn’t. 

My shift in posture didn’t go unnoticed as he eyed me up and down. I felt his anger dwindle, the acidity in his gaze simmer. Until Luke gripped his shoulder and pulled him away from me. 

Luke glared at him, “Hey man, what’s your probl-” Nathan shoved him, hard. Luke stumbles, trips over his foot, and falls. 

“Luke!” I quickly step between them so he couldn’t take advantage of Luke’s position. 

He looked about ready to bulldoze through me and attack, but he gave Max a look and shouldered past me. 

Warren appears next to me and offers Luke a hand, pulling him up and patting him on the back. “You alright?” Luke just nods and turns to me, asking me the same question. 

“Yeah, yeah.” I look at Max, “Why did he want to talk to you?”

Her blue eyes looked stressed. “The bathroom.” She quickly said our goodbyes to the boys and grabbed my wrist, wordlessly instructing me to follow her. 

“I didn’t finish telling you what happened. We should talk about it behind closed doors though, so let's go to your room.” I agree and we speed walk to the dorms. My mind raced, mixing thoughts of Nathan and Luke, Max and Nathan, all jumbling together in a confusing mess of unanswered questions. 

I wondered why Nathan went so easy on me and then turned around and lashed out at Luke. Did he really have a gun? What did Max mean she can rewind time? Fuck, it’s like I’m living in a novel. And to imagine that just this morning, I was romanticizing Nathan, thinking he was misunderstood and that everybody was exaggerating about his anger issues. 

I guess the trope that villains are extremely attractive is more realistic than I originally thought. I snap myself out of that one. I didn’t want to judge him until more information was revealed. I shouldn’t make assumptions based on one encounter and a handful of gossip. 

Before I knew it we were back at the dorms and speeding down the hall to my room. I open it for her and she hesitantly steps inside. It hits me that we’ve never visited in each other's rooms before, which makes sense as to why she’s so awkward. It also doesn’t help that my room isn’t clean. Clean and dirty clothes litter my floor along with magazines and crushed up empty water bottles. I quickly scoop them into the trash, tossing my clothes into the hamper, and smacking a pile of magazines onto my table. I open my mini fridge and toss a bottle of water to Max, who was standing at the door like a statue. 

“You can sit, Max. Anywhere you’d like.” She decided to sit in my large reading chair, which was technically more of a loveseat than a chair but all of the cushions made it more suitable for one person, rather than two.

She looked around, taking in the pastel rainbow of my room. I press shuffle on a playlist from my laptop and turn back around to notice Max staring at the corkboard beside my bed. I tacked photos up on it and looked at them nearly every night. I sit next to Max as she points out a photo. “Who’s that?” 

“Roman.” The picture was me and him standing at the top of a mountain in formal dress and hiking boots. His arm was wrapped around me and we were gazing into each other's eyes, being cheesy. “He was my boyfriend when I lived in Alaska. We were planning to go to prom but we decided at the last minute to go for a hike. We still wanted to get some kind of prom photo so we brought the tripod.” 

“Are you guys doing long distance?” 

I shake my head. “We agreed that a clean break was a good idea. At least until graduation, because he was planning on moving to Portland to attend college. We still talk a lot, and he’s gonna visit sometime.” 

Her eyebrow quirked, “When?” 

“I’m not sure. He said it’s a surprise.” 

“He’s not my type, but he’s definitely attractive.” She smirks.

“Yeah, I know. You like the nerdy type, which Warren fits perfectly.” She doesn’t hide the small smile at the mention of his name, which drops almost immediately. 

“Should I tell him about what I can do?” 

“That you can rewind time? Are you sure you weren’t still dreaming?”

“I know I wasn’t dreaming. There’s no way. I don’t know why I can’t do it again, but I swear I can.” 

“Well, maybe you need to rest.” I was hesitant to believe something that sounds like it came from a science fiction novel, but Max didn’t strike me as the type to pull pranks. 

She nods, but I can tell she checked out of the conversation. 

“Oh, hey, you didn’t finish telling me about the bathroom. You showed me the butterfly picture but then Luke interrupted.” 

She snaps back to attention, “That’s right. Yeah, so this chick with blue hair came in and checked the stalls. She said they had to talk ‘bidness’. She was saying that he owed her money if he didn’t want word going around that Nathan was selling drugs and shit. He got upset and said that his family had money, not him. The girl called him a punk ass that whines like a little girl.” She pauses and breathes in. “Nathan pulled a gun on her and cornered her against a wall. He said she didn’t know who she was messing with. She tried to push the gun away, but he accidentally pulled the trigger. He...he shot her. I panicked and reached out and then I was back in Mr. Jefferson’s class.” 

I released the breath I was holding and focused on the word “accidentally”. Maybe he didn’t mean to shoot her but when she pushed him away his hand flexed and then it was too late. “Did you recognize the girl?” 

She tilts her head. “She looked kind of familiar, but I didn’t get a very good look at her.” She shrugs, “If we run into her again, we should be able to recognize her blue hair at least. And then we can ask her more about what happened with Nathan.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” I stand. “You’re saying you want to get involved in that? Involved in Nathan Prescott’s business?” I grab a water bottle from my desk and water my flowers, before looking back at her with a face. “Did you not warn me that he’s unstable, just this morning? It’s not a good idea to be around Nathan. He’s not just some high schooler that might beat someone up. He’s capable of murder, you’ve seen it."

“To be fair, anyone’s capable of murder. Hell, you’re capable of murder.” 

“I would never harm someone. It doesn’t matter what they’ve done, violence doesn’t solve violence, and I firmly believe in that.”

“That sounded bad, I’m sorry. I just meant that if you wanted to you could kill somebody, just like Nathan. I-I mean I’m sure you’ve thought about killing somebody before because they annoyed you or something. But not, you know, seriously, just as a… joke.” She could tell she was digging herself deeper and decided to stop talking. She stared at the floor as her face turned a darker red. 

I was starting to get a headache. 

Max checks her phone and sighs. “I’ve got homework I have to do. I’ll talk to you later.” She waves and escapes out the door. 

I sigh and lean back in my desk chair. Today has been… too much. Sleep and water are what I need. An ice pack would help too. Before my body got too comfortable in the chair, I grab my water bottle and the ice stick I keep for muscle aches and shed my clothes. I turn off the lights and guzzle my water, before crawling under the covers. I wrap the ice pack in a small washcloth and rest it on my forehead. The cold doesn’t immediately affect me, but the cooling temperature somewhat soothed the subtle hum in my head. 

As I lay there, relaxing and enjoying the chill of the ice stick, my mind wanders. I remember bits and pieces of things that happened today. Nathan’s eyes when I ran into him in the hall; steel blue and so full of ire, ready to strike down anyone that dared to cross his path. I was the unlucky soul to do so. He indirectly broke my camera and didn’t apologize, and then to add insult to injury, he pushed me for speaking my mind. To be fair, I was rude about it but even then, it didn’t warrant him putting his hands on me. 

My stomach aches as I remember how he started to relax when I didn’t back down. The subtle spark in his blue eyes stuck in my mind, giving me butterflies for some odd reason. Is there something wrong with me? Despite how he reacted today, I still found him attractive. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy a mentally stable girl would go for. 

I groan and toss the ice stick across the room in frustration. “This is so stupid.” I turn to face the wall and glare at the corkboard of photos.

It’s much too early to take a nap. I mean, it’s only 4:30. Pulling on shorts and zipping up a sweater, I leave my room. I pause by Max’s door. The whiteboard next to the door has a camera drawn on it saying “Fuck your selfie.” I can only think of one person crude enough to put that on there. I turn towards Victoria’s door and grab a marker. I hesitate to think of something clever. I smirk and start writing, “You are the stone in the shoe of this school.” 

Satisfied, I leave the girls dorm before I had the chance to get caught up in conversation with the many open doors full of girls.


	3. Nathan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter through the perspective of Nathan

I sit with Hayden under a tree on the edge of campus and hand him the joint, letting the smoke linger in my chest before slowly letting it go. Damn, I needed this. After the shit that happened in the parking lot, I didn’t have the patience for anything else but weed and Hayden. 

“Yo, Prescott, you look lost. Where are you, man?” Hayden lights up a new joint and inhales deeply before giving it to me. 

I wave away his question and lay down, suddenly getting irritated thinking about it. After I left those losers I was stopped by David Madsen, who was threatening to turn me into the principal if I didn’t behave like a proper student of Blackwell Academy. Which is absolute bullshit because I own this entire place. But at least he didn’t see what was going on a few minutes before that. With that girl. 

I remember her voice and I sit up, coughing violently. My stomach turns and my throat hurts as I recall seeing her in the hallway. First when she ran into me and when the fire alarm went off. She’d have to be blind to not see my gun. And the way she stood up to me was new. Nobody had done that before and I kind of liked it. She’s got balls, and I can appreciate that despite it being annoying as hell. I saw her posture change and she became fearless. It was impressive. 

Hayden smacks me in the arm and points, “Dude, there’s that girl I was talking about. The new one that the football team wants to bang, I mean look at those legs, man! I can only imagine what they’d look like wrapped around me.” He smirks and checks her out more. I sigh and follow his gaze only to grip the grass and do a double take. 

It’s the girl from the parking lot, who I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. I take a moment to really look at her. Her brunette hair was long and swung around her waist as she walked with confidence and purpose. She was glowing and smiled at people that passed. I couldn’t see very well but if I had to guess, I’d say she wasn’t wearing makeup. My eyes travel down to her legs and I couldn’t help but admire them. She wore jean shorts that stopped just above her knee and a dark blue sweater that seemed it might be a bit small. I watched her for a few moments before her eyes slide over and meet mine. She falters. 

“Hey, Violet!” Hayden calls and flags her down, “I’ve got a question, come here!” Hm, Violet. I mouth it and make a mental note to remember it. If I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I wouldn’t have caught the slight squint of her eyes before she approached us. 

“Sit, sit, please.” Hayden bows his head and pats the spot between us. She sits on the other side of Hayden. I couldn’t help but notice how smooth her legs looked. 

“What’s up?” She doesn’t avoid looking at me like imagined, instead, giving me a small smile in greeting with wary eyes.

Hayden lights up another joint and takes a huge hit before passing it to Violet. She looks down at it for a second before shrugging and inhaling a small bit. She coughs lightly and lets it out smoothly, making Hayden laugh. “Looks like we’ve got an experienced smoker with us, Nathan.” He elbows me with a smile. 

I could tell Violet was annoyed at that. “What did you want Hayden?”

He took the joint back from her and passed it to me. “Yeah, so I was wondering if you’re going to the Vortex Club party this Friday. And if so, would you go with me as my date?” Damn, I’ve got to hand it to him. When he wants something, he doesn’t fuck around.

Violet looks surprised for a second. “I’m not a part of your little crew so why aren’t you hitting up a popular chick?” 

Hayden looks her up and down. “Have you seen yourself? You’re hotter than- dare I say- Victoria. You’re new here and people are noticing you. You’re a cheerleader and you’re nice so yeah, you’re popular. You’re definitely Vortex Club material.” He winks at her and I roll my eyes. It was starting to irritate me how heavily Hayden was flirting with Violet. 

Bored by the conversation, I turn my attention to the front doors of the school. Kids were still going in and out, probably finishing up homework, which I still had to do. Shit. Mrs. Grant was stopping students to talk about the security cameras David Madsen wants to put up everywhere. She was petitioning against it and had gotten a few dozen signatures. The hairs on my neck stand as I suddenly feel someone looking at me. I look around but I don’t notice anyone watching us. I tune back into Hayden trying to convince Violet to come to the party when I catch her eye. She was looking at me with a glint in her eye. She only looked away to counter Hayden’s flirting with more reasons why she shouldn't go to the party. Her gaze would slide back to mine but she never said anything to me. It made me feel small. Like I was a specimen, and I hated it. I clenched my jaw and fiddled with my lighter, trying not to get angry with her. 

“Nathan, right?” Violet interrupted Hayden. I looked up and she had her head tilted to the side as she observed me. 

I squint my eyes at her, “Yeah, but you already knew that.” She called out my name in the parking lot.

She glanced at Hayden and shook her head. “I’ve heard your name thrown around here and there. Your red jacket is quite famous, apparently.” 

I look down and shrug, “It’s a designer.” 

Violet scoffs, “Of course it is.” 

Did she just insult me? “The hell does that mean?” I could feel my anger rising, like a volcano. 

She looks back to Hayden and stage whispers, “He’s quick to anger, huh?” And all he does is snort in response to her. I could feel myself starting to lose my chill so I stand and leave, tossing the joint down and opting for a cigarette.


	4. Violet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super long wait, I’m horrible with updating things

When I left the dorms, I decided to go to the Two Whales diner. I was on my way to my car when I spotted Nathan sitting on the grass smoking. He was looking at me and I hesitated. If I wanted to get to my car, I had to go past him. Before I could figure out what to do, Hayden Jones calls out to me. 

I squint at Nathan to gauge his reaction but he seemed passive. Much different from earlier. Hayden pats the spot between him and Hot Head but I sit on the other side of Hayden. I notice Nathan eyeing my legs with a strange look on his face. 

"What's up?" I look at him and relax a bit. He was pacified because of the weed so I assumed it was safe enough. 

Hayden takes an unlit joint from his breast pocket and lights it. He hits it and smiles as he passes it to me. I used to smoke with Roman occasionally so I took it from him with a small shrug and inhaled a bit. I didn't want to drive with too much in my system. My lungs protest the smoke because of how long it been since I last did it and I cough, before blowing the rest away. 

Hayden laughs and comments to Nathan that I'm an experienced smoker. It annoyed me a bit but I'm not sure why. "What did you want Hayden?"

He passes the joint to Nathan and leans back, "Yeah, so I was wondering if you're going to the Vortex Club party this Friday. And if so, would you go with me as my date?" 

Wow, okay. I was startled by how blatant he was about it. My eyes flickered to Nathan for some reason and he even looks surprised.

I look back to Hayden. I wanted to go to the party but not with him and I couldn't just say that outright, that'd be rude. "I'm not a part of your little crew so why aren't you hitting up a popular chick?"

He looks me up and down with raised eyebrows, "Have you seen yourself? You're hotter than- dare I say- Victoria." I notice Nathan tilt his head in agreement and I fight the blush that threatens to expose me. "You're new here and people are noticing you. You're a cheerleader and you're nice so yeah, you're popular. You're definitely Vortex Club material." He finishes with a wink. I look back to Nathan just in time to see him roll his eyes and turn away, focusing on the front of the school. He definitely changed his attitude compared to earlier. It's weird to see him calm and casual after 2 months of being at Blackwell and seeing him from afar. He always seemed so secluded. So untouchable. But he's just like any other kid with anger and entitlement issues. 

"I'll make sure you have a good time. I can promise you that." Hayden's voice breaks my train of thought. 

"Oh really?" I challenge. If he's serious about taking me to the party then he'll have to go through the hoops. "How? And don't say anything about sex because I can guarantee that won't be happening if I go with you." 

He opens his mouth and pauses. "Uh, I'd get you drinks and stuff if you wanted me to. And I'd… make you laugh." He deflates. He obviously depended heavily on sexual favors.

I wait for him to continue but he doesn't. He just awkwardly tears up grass. I decide to show him mercy. "If we went out on a date what would we do? Where would we go?" 

He smiles, "My father owns a boat so I'd take you around the bay for a picnic make by yours truly." My eyebrows raise. That doesn't sound too bad actually. 

"And you can't think of something romantic to do at a pool party?" I look at Nathan, who was just letting his eyes wander around campus. He looked relaxed, probably due to the weed, and his blue eyes didn't seem so cold anymore. Just bored. He scratches his chin and draws my attention to how soft his face looked. He brings the joint to his lips and draws smoke into his lungs. Watching his lips wrap around it made my insides warm. 

Nathan tenses and looks around with squinted eyes. He turns his body towards us and brings his gaze up to mine. I don't avert my attention until Hayden answers my question. 

"Well, we'd swim of course. And I'd fend off other dudes that hit on you because you're high if you think nobody else would wanna tap that." Hayden grins like he just solved world hunger. Another long glance at Nathan. 

I sigh. "So what's up with the party? Who's stocking it? Oh, and how many people are on the VIP list?" 

He takes a sip of water and clears his throat, "Well, Mr. Prescott gives us the money to buy whatever we want which is usually a whole bunch of booze for the Vortex Club members and soda for the rest of the party." Nathan starts to fidget with his lighter the longer I look at him. "The entire Vortex Club is going and there's a few we accepted into the VIP section to scope out new members. You'll be on that list." Hayden lists the current members of the Vortex Club.

Nope. Not gonna sit through this anymore. "Nathan, right?" I tilt my head. Hayden stops talking. 

Nathan squints at me like I just threw something at him. "Yeah, but you already knew that." 

I glance at Hayden who looked on with mild interest, "I've heard your name thrown around here and there." Liar. I've had my eyes on him since I first saw him because I thought he was attractive. "Your red jacket in quite famous, apparently." 

He looks down and shrugs like he wasn't wearing a super fucking vibrant color, "It's a designer." 

I scoff at that. "Of course it is." Why wouldn't Nathan Prescott have designer everything?

"The hell does that mean?" His eyes were angry again. He clenches his jaw. 

I look at Hayden. He was warning me with a small shake of his head. Because I'm such a genius I stage whisper, "He's quick to anger, huh?" He snorts and looks down quickly to cover it. Nathan stands, letting the joint fall and lights a cigarette instead. He doesn't look back as he briskly walks away with his hands in his jean pockets. 

I sigh and internally scold myself. 

“I have to finish my homework. I’ve got an entire canvas to fill, so I’ll see you later Hayden.” 

“Wait, Violet.” He takes out his phone and unlocks it before handing it to me. “Can I have your number? So you can give me an answer later.” 

I enter my number into it, “As long as you promise not to blow up my notifications.” He gives me a smile and promises. 

I head to the parking lot and get in my Jeep Cherokee, pulling out and driving down to the Two Whales diner. 

 

I park next to a dirty RV and press the lock button on my keychain twice. I wave to a fisherman standing behind a table full of pamphlets and stuff. I open the door to the diner and smile at the officer sitting at the counter. Seated in the first booth was Trevor and Justin with their skateboards under the benches. Justin greets me with a fist bump. Trevor with a bro shake. 

“Whatcha doin’ here, Harper?” Justin slurps from a milkshake. 

“Just getting food then heading back to the dorms to paint.” 

“Cool cool, just a heads up though. The Blackwell King is here and he looked pissed.” 

Trevor’s head pops up from scrolling on his phone, “Yeah he took my hat because I made a joke about porcupines.” 

Justin laughs and fist bumps him, “It was still a good joke.” 

I look down towards the other booths and Nathan sat scrunched facing the other way. I sigh and pat Trev’s shoulder, “I’ll get your hat back.” 

Both of their eyes widen and they throw a glance at the boy in the red jacket. Justin whispers, “Dude, you’re crazy. He’s got insane anger issues and he’s gotten physical before, man.” 

Trevor nods like a bobblehead, “Yeah, I’ll just get a new hat. Dana would never let me hear the end of it if I let you talk to Nathan and he did something.” Justin rolls his eyes and says something about married life. 

“No really, it’s fine. There’s a police officer right there, if Nathan even raises his voice, I’m sure Officer Barry will do something. Besides, I’ve got pepper spray.” Not that it would come to that. 

I walk away before either can protest any further. Nathan sits with earbuds in and his head in his hands, a coffee in front of him. I plop down on the other bench and pick up a menu, blocking my face with it. 

Now that I’m sitting here, I feel dumb for trying this. I have no idea how he’ll be now. I tap my fingernails on the table to the beat of my favorite song and decide on the Caesar salad with chicken and croutons. And a lemon water. I peek over the top of the menu to see Nathan looking at me with annoyance. When he recognizes who I am, his face turns blank. I put down the barricade and clasp my hands on the table, sitting up straight. 

“Give Trevor’s hat back.” I don’t waste a second to get what I want. I don’t want to irritate Nathan any more than I need to. 

His eyebrows crease and he glances beside him in the booth. I sit up and look too but he grabs it and stuffs it behind him.

I scoff at him, “Childish much?”

His eyes narrow at me like I’m the stupidest person he’s ever met. I raise an eyebrow at him and held my hand out. 

“It’s not your hat, give it back.” He just stares at me with a dumbfounded face. “You can’t just take somebody’s personal belongings just because they make a joke about you. That’s not how a normal society functions, jerkwad, so give me the hat.” I was getting irritated with how he was staring at me without saying anything. 

Joyce appears at the table and smiles at me, “Hey, doll, what can I get ya?” She purses her lips at Nathan but ignores the scowl he gives her. 

I recite what I decided on and asked for it to go, pushing the menu to the other side of the table to focus back on Nathan. 

“Why do girls always order salads?” Nathan asks after a minute of silence. I look up at his perplexed eyes.

I shrug, “I don’t know about other girls, but I get salads because it makes me feel better about my waist size.”

He makes a weird face. “You could eat an entire buffet and you’d still look hot so shut the fuck up.” He takes a drink of his coffee and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning.

Nathan Prescott thought I was hot. That’s...cool. No big deal. It’s not like he was a jerk earlier today and broke my camera. I mean he didn’t even apologize so it’s clear that he’s-

“Hey,” He scratches his arm with a small frown, “I’m sorry for the shitty things I did today. Making your camera fall. Pushing you.” His eye twitches and his eyes lose focus for a moment. “And for shoving your boyfriend. And, I guess, taking that dick’s hat.” He reaches behind him and tosses Trevor’s hat onto the table. 

Joyce comes over with my salad in a bag and a to-go cup of lemon water. I stand to leave. “Thank you. I’m sorry for provoking you and calling you names.” He nods and goes back to his coffee. As I’m starting to walk away, I turn back to Nathan, “I don’t have a boyfriend. I-I just wanted to clarify.” His eyebrow raises and I quickly leave, tossing Trev’s hat as I pass him and escaping to my car.

I slam the door and bring my face down on the steering wheel. “God, I’m so stupid. There was literally no reason to tell him that.” I reverse and drive back to Blackwell, beating myself up the entire time. 

 

Four hours later I’d finished the painting Mrs. Lorna assigned in art class, and I noticed the sun had just set. 

My plan for college was to get a scholarship to major in English but if that fell through, I’d sell my paintings to go to cosmetology or photography school. There’s a good chance I’ll be eating a lot of ramens until I make a name for myself. To support myself, I got a job at the Two Whales and I’ll be starting next week. 

I set my easel on the other side of my loveseat so I don’t accidentally run into it while it dries. Our project was to paint something that exists but we had to put our own little twist on it. Mrs. Lorna had demonstrated using one of her old student’s paintings. It was a portrait of the mountains, but the clouds were made of flower petals and the sky was painted gold. It was beautiful and it took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do. 

I decided to try my hand at a self-portrait. It took me almost an hour to get the details of my face right and I was glad I sketched it out with a pencil first. I painted my hair the color of rainbows and laced my skin with thorny vines and roses, using shadows in the background to add an air of mystery. 

I’ve always been pretty good at catching the likeness of other people in sketches and paintings so I accentuated on that. It was spooky, looking at the painting, seeing myself and knowing that I painted that. I was hella proud of it. 

Looking down at my paint covered hands, I sigh. Thank god I put my hair up and changed into an old tank top and shorts because I got paint everywhere. Time to shower then. I carefully shoulder my shower tote and open the door, backing into the hallway to use my foot to close the door. I successfully close the door and turn to hurry to the shower when I run straight into somebody. I hit my forehead on a bony shoulder and groan, stumbling back. 

“Shit!” Arms grab mine to steady me and I grip their jacket while the sudden pain goes away. I look up and freeze. My heart stutters and my brain screams at me that I’m an idiot. I agree


	5. Nathan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this ones really long, but I had to make up for how long it’s taken me to update

It felt weird apologizing to Violet because I never do. The only time I’ll say sorry for anything is if my father demands that I do. It surprised me when the urge to say sorry to her had forced the words out of my mouth before I could second guess it. She had seemed confused but grateful when I’d given her the hat back. But I couldn’t understand why she came back to tell me she was single. Like she cared that I knew. It was odd but cute. Violet definitely wasn’t your ordinary Blackwell student and even though she seemed wary of me, I was weirdly touched that she didn’t look at me like a wild animal.

After she’d left, I went to the beach and saw a wounded bird. I acknowledged that that scene would have made a lot of people sad but it didn’t strike a chord as it should have. I was interested in it though. I took pictures of it and sat down to watch the waves for a while. 

I thought about what would happen if that blue haired punk, Chloe, ratted me out. I’d probably go to jail, for one, but that didn’t scare me as much as my father finding out. God, the things he’d do to me. I feel a strong chill run through my body and wrap my arms around myself. 

For some reason, my mind kept circling back to Violet. I didn’t understand why she’d correct me about her not-boyfriend, and I also couldn’t fathom why she was occupying my thoughts so often. I felt an urge to find her if only to look at her. How haven’t I noticed her before today? I mean, she could be a model if- I strike that thought from my head. Imagining her modeling made my stomach churn. 

I grab my pack of cigarettes and stick one between my lips. I flick my lighter and watch the flames lick the paper, setting it and the tobacco ablaze. I fill my lungs with the acrid poison and hold it in. The smoke curls up into the air as the cigarette continues to burn, mixing and dancing with the air, tainting it with its dark hue and strong smell. My lungs start to protest the lack of oxygen but I don’t let go yet. I needed to feel the burn. I needed to check that I was still able to breathe. My heart starts beating faster without any conscious effort, demanding the sweet essence of life. And still, I denied myself the pleasure of gasping. 

My free hand grips the sand as my lungs scream at me to breathe out. I vaguely noted that this is the longest I’ve been able to hold it and faintly wonder if it’s possible to kill myself this way. Probably not, but it’s still worth a try. I clench my jaw tighter and close my eyes, forcing my body to calm down. I focus on the sound of water lapping lazily against the shore, the sound of circling seagulls as they fight over dropped fries. I spread my fingers against the ground to feel the cool grains of sand filter between them. I relax more as a soft breeze floats over me, coaxing me, seducing my lungs the betray me and exhale. 

I fight the strong urge to cough and suddenly the world tilts and I’m laying on my back. I let myself lose consciousness as the smoke sizzles and clogs my lungs. 

 

‘Victoria is showing me her photo album. There are so many photos, it’s overwhelming. It reminds me of the Dark Room. My stomach informs me that my lunch is about to come back so I run my hands down my face and through my hair, tugging enough to bring an uncomfortable pain. 

“Nathan, are you even listening to me?” Vic raises an eyebrow at me before sighing. “Of course not, why should I expect anything else?” 

I wave my hand at her, “Sorry, continue.” I had no intention to start listening. 

She frowns at me. “You’re thinking about Violet, aren’t you?” 

My head snaps up and I stare at her in confusion. How does she know about her?

“Relax, she’s your girlfriend.” She sits on her bed, picking up a magazine. “Leave. Go to her room if you aren’t going to pay attention to me.” Girlfriend?

I frown at her. Usually, she would’ve tried to get me to interact with her. Like, one time, I wasn’t watching the movie with her and she got me interested in a game. The goal was to count the number of taxis we saw in the film, and needless to say, I was present for the rest of the night. 

She looks at me and juts her chin to the door, “Get out. Violet needs you.” My body moves without my consent, pulling me out the door and through the hall. My feet stop in front of door number 225. A whiteboard was hung up right beside the frame and said, “Clowns are forbidden but Nathan is allowed.” Odd...and yet I knock anyway. I notice light shining from under the door and step back in uncertainty. Why am I even here? 

The door opens and the light bathes the hallway, sending warmth and the sweet scent of Japanese cherry blossom, guiding me inside. 

The room was the regular dorm size and was lacking in decor. The soft white curtains billow as the wind picks up. 

Someone clears their throat behind me and I spin around, slightly startled. It was Violet. She wore a beautiful yellow sundress with a cinched waist to allow the fabric to cascade down her figure. The hem stopped just shy of her knee and was finished with a delicate lace, same as the sweetheart neckline. Her hair was pulled back into a loose french braid with small flowers woven in. 

She steps closer to me and smiles. “Nathan.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I was wondering when you were going to come find me.” She didn’t stop until she was an arms length away. 

She suddenly grows taller, but I realize after a moment of dizziness, that I’ve fallen. I could hear my heartbeat in my chest, pounding. She collapses to her knees beside me, hand going to her heart as if it hurt. “No! You can’t do this, it’s not fair!” She presses her hands to my chest. I attempt to push her back but my limbs won’t cooperate. She pumps against my ribcage again and again. She’s...crying. Her sobs get louder and her thrusts get weaker. 

I can barely see her green eyes through her tears but the anguish was clearer than anything at the moment. 

In a fit of desperation, she tilts my head back, pinches my nose, and breathes into my lungs. I felt her tears dripping on my skin and they burned as if the pain that caused them were scorching their way into my soul. She pulls back and holds her breath, waiting for something. I wanted to dry her damp face so I tried, and found that I could move my limbs again. 

I wipe a tear away and she smiles. Straight, white teeth. Of course, why would someone as beautiful as she have anything less? She lays her head against my chest and gazes at me as if I was her entire world and my heart stutters. I would never deserve that look, not in a million years. 

A loud gunshot rings through the air and she lurches against me, gasping in shock. Red quickly spreads in the center of her abdomen, staining the yellow fabric. She grabs my shirt as she trembles in my arms, faintly whispering something. I lean closer and cringe as her face drains of color. She touches her stomach and looks sad to see the blood there.

Her green eyes capture mine and she says something, but the hammering of my heart drowned it out, so I bring my ear closer. She caresses my face, “Breathe.” As her body goes slack, a burning on my chest causes my vision to go blurry and explode in white.’

 

I sit up, gasping for air, and scratching my chest. I look down at where it had burned not even a second ago and found a hole in my shirt. My abandoned cigarette had fallen on my chest when I passed out. I groan and grab my phone from my jacket. It was nearly 6:45 and I’d gotten a dozen texts from Victoria. I stand, shaking my jacket and dusting off my jeans to rid myself of the sand. I stuff my phone in my back pocket and trudge to my truck, slamming the door and rolling down the windows. 

I dig around through the trash on the floor of the passenger seat and grab a half-empty water bottle, quickly downing it in two gulps. The burn hits the back of my throat and I cough before starting my truck to head back to Blackwell. 

I couldn’t get the image of Violet’s dress soaked with blood. It unnerved me and I couldn’t understand why I was so fixated on her. I don’t even know her. My face tingles as I think about how she touched me. So gentle and full of affection that it was hard to believe it wasn’t real. But of course, it wasn’t. Even if I had the guts to talk to her, she’d most likely keep her distance because I’m such an asshole. God, I’m an idiot. 

My left leg jiggled in agitation and I stepped on the gas pedal, not giving a single shit about speed limits. The wind rushed through my car and scattered unpaid parking tickets and fast food bags. I was now going 90 miles per hour and I didn’t plan on slowing down. I click my seatbelt off and grip the wheel. All it would take was one jerk. A small slip of the wheel on a turn. Maybe an animal would rush out in the middle of the street and I’d swerve around it, crashing into a tree and flying out the windshield. It’d be easy, really. Quick and simple. 

Suddenly a paper flies into my face and I’m blinded and- shit wasn’t there a turn here? Time seems to slow as I accept my fate. Blindsided by paper going 110 miles an hour and ramming into a guardrail or a tree. Dead. But a face flashes through my head. It was blurry, like an out of focus camera, and before I knew it, my foot was slamming on the brake pedal and pulling the emergency brake. I felt my truck lurch forward and my head connects with the steering wheel, pain exploding on my forehead and in my neck as I screech to a stop. My heart hammered in my chest and my thoughts raced. 

I run a hand down my face and laugh in disbelief. I curse whatever took over my body and made me stop. I look down at the paper that had fallen in my lap. 

MISSING  
Rachel Amber  
Missing From: Arcadia Bay  
Date Missing: Mon April 22, 2018  
Other: Age 19, Height 5’5”, Hair Blonde, Eyes Hazel   
Tattoo on the calf of a dragon and a star on the inside of the left wrist.  
Please call with any information. Call (555) 388-6020 -Arcadia Bay Sheriff

 

Well...This day can’t get any worse.

Woop Woop 

I was wrong. Blue and red lights flash behind me and I roll my eyes. Don’t they recognize my truck yet? God, they’re stupid. 

The idiot slaps a hand on the back of my truck and approaches my window. He looks at me and his face drains of color. 

I peek at his name tag. “Yes, Officer Barry?” I smiled as innocently as my temper allowed me. 

He tucks his hands into his pockets and smiles tightly, “How’s it going, kid?” 

I shrug and rest my elbow on the lip of the window, “Well I tried killing myself so what does that tell you?” 

He bit his lip as he deliberated over how to respond. The discomfort rolled off of him in waves. He squinted at something in the woods and whistles, gesturing to his watch. “I told the wife I’d be back by 7, so…” He waves me on and hurries to his patrol car and goes the opposite direction. 

“Dickwad.” Annoyance pricked at me as I sped off. I barely tried to keep my hand on the wheel as I dug around for another water bottle. I check under a seat and find a full one. I unscrew the cap and flick it away, taking a few quick gulps of vodka. I grimace at the burn but focus on the road again with a new objective: get wasted.

I made it back to Blackwell and parked, heading straight to the girls' dorms. I climb up the stairs and step through the door to all of the girls’ rooms. I knew where Victoria’s was but I still peeked at the directory. I saw Vic’s was listed as 221, but my eyes wandered to 225. Violet. So her room really was room 225. Huh, odd. How did I know that? I probably glanced at it once and my brain didn’t forget. Yeah, that’s most likely it. 

I knock once on Vic’s room before barging in. She was laying on her bed with earbuds in and reading a magazine. I toss my jacket at her and she shrieks, sitting up and glaring at me.

“For fuck's sake, Nathan, you almost gave me a heart attack!” She yanks out the buds and shoves my jacket to the floor. I smirk at her before plopping on her couch. 

“At least you’d die, right?” I murmured just loud enough for her to know I said something. 

She squints at me, “What?” 

I shake my head. “Nothing.” She just rolls her eyes and throws the magazine at me. 

I reach under her couch and pull out a Gucci shoe box. I never invite Vic to my room to smoke, so I stash my stuff here, because why not? I take out my pipe and put a couple of buds into it before grabbing my lighter and taking a hit. I inhale to the point that it burns the back of my throat and let it settle in my lungs, blowing the smoke towards Victoria. 

She purses her lips but flops to the end of her bed and takes the pipe from me. “So what’s up, Nathan? Why weren’t you calling or texting me back?” 

I push myself into the couch a bit, “Fell asleep.” 

She stares at me as if looking long enough would reveal the truth. “Fine, you fell asleep. Something you can’t do on any regular night.” 

I shrug and let the train of questioning derail. She passes the pipe back to me.

“Hey, V?” I take another huge hit. She hums in response, distracted by her phone. “Do you know Violet?” I avoid her gaze but I could still see the whip of her head. 

“Violet Harper? The new cheerleader in Mr. Jefferson’s class? Not personally but I have all of the current gossip on her.” She leans in, intrigued. “Why?” Her tone lilts in a teasing manner. 

“Hayden asked her out and I want to know more about who she is, that’s all.” It was a lie but I tried to believe it. After that odd dream I had, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. About her eyes. It was driving me insane how hung up I was on this girl that probably wouldn’t even like me. 

I wanted to bang my head against a wall to get her out of my thoughts, and I’m damn near tempted to do that right now. 

Victoria tilts her head and gives me a look. It’s obvious she knows somethings up but she doesn’t know exactly what. “Uh-huh, sure.” She rolls onto her back and crosses her legs. “Well, she moved from Alaska, she’s not super rich but nobody even cares about that because of how good she is at cheerleading. Which, she’s really good, I’ve seen them practicing and holy hell, she’s brave. They launched her like 8 feet in the air and she came back down smiling. I would’ve puked. But besides cheerleading, she’s friendly with everybody, including those dorks Max and Luke.” She smirks at me, “She’s single, from what I hear. A few guys have gone around saying she’s into freaky stuff but I wouldn’t place my trust in a guy like Zachary.” 

That sparked something in my gut. Annoyance, I think, but I couldn’t be sure. I want to punch something. Zachary. Yeah, I think I’d enjoy punching him.

“Hey, Nate? Are you alright?” Vic eyes me upside down. 

Am I ever? “Yep. I’m good.” I grab the Gucci box and put all of my stuff back inside, sliding it under the couch again. I pull my jacket from under Victoria and slip my arms through the sleeves. 

“Leaving so soon?” She yawns and stretches. 

I nod and gesture to her, “You look tired so I’m just gonna head out.” She waves at me with a small smile before tucking her arm under her head and closing her eyes. 

I flip her light off and close the door behind me as I leave. I noticed her whiteboard had writing on it, but it wasn’t Victoria’s. “You are the stone in the shoe of this school.” A middle finger was drawn under it with, “Jealousy is an ugly color, xoxo -V” I don’t understand why girls are so passive aggressive sometimes. 

I turn to leave the girls dorm but I glanced behind me, looking for 225. I wanted to knock on her door for some reason. Bad idea, Nathan. Very bad idea. And yet, just like in my dream, my feet led me to her door. Unlike in the dream, there was only a soft light from under her door, most likely just from her window. 

I look down the hallway with uncertainty. There were a few doors open, but from what I saw when I first got here, the girls with their doors open were doing homework. Except for the letters V.H. at the top, her whiteboard was blank. I raise my fist, preparing to knock, but I hesitate. I have no reason to talk to her. I’ve already apologized, anything I say to her would probably make her uncomfortable. But what she said before she left the diner rang through my head, taunting me. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I-I just wanted to clarify.” I sigh and pinch my arm hard enough to bruise. This was a bad idea. 

I shake my head and turn away from her door, not even making it a few steps when the door opens and Violet walks backward out of her room with a small tote swinging from her shoulder. Her legs were exposed in thigh high shorts stained with rainbow-colored spots. I also noted the tank top she wore.

She lifted her leg and used her foot to guide the door closed. I heard the click and honestly, was quite impressed. Panic sends my heart into hyperdrive when I realize she’s going to see me standing outside her door like a total creep, but it was too late to run. I couldn’t make it to Victoria’s room if I tried. 

And she whips around, blindly stepping forward, and runs straight into my shoulder. “Shit!” I hear as she stumbles back. Without any conscious effort, I reach out to steady her. Her hands shoot out and grip my jacket. She blinks once, twice, and looks up at me. Her eyes widen and she stiffens.

I felt her body heat and I didn't know what to do. Her eyes snap to her hands and her mouth opens as worry pulls her eyebrows up. She lets go and backs up gently, clenching her hands into tight fists. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to, I swear. Fuck, let me buy you a new one, please Nathan.” 

I look at her hands and notice paint. I hold back the grimace when I inspected my jacket. Rainbow streaks were smeared around my lapels, a stark difference against the red. This jacket was nearly 700 dollars and I didn’t even mind if she didn’t pay it. 

I shake my head and dab the paint. Some parts of it were already drying. “It’s fine. I doubt you’d be able to afford it anyway.” Regret pricked at me as her face falls. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were behind me.” She looks closer at the paint. “You might be able to get some of it out if you take it to the dry cleaners like right now.” She shrugged with a guilty face. 

“I mean, I’ll probably just buy a new one.” She looks at me with bewilderment, before seeming to remember who I was, and rolls her eyes. 

“Why are you in the girl’s dorm anyway?” She looked down the hall, resituating her tote to cover her torso, apparently shy from her small tank top. I could tell she was becoming uncomfortable. 

I gesture towards Victoria’s room, “Visiting a friend.” 

Her eyebrow quirks, “Then why were you in front of my door?” The corner of her lips twitched up, before she tucked her chin down quickly, letting her hair fall into her face.

I stammered for an explanation, quickly spouting out the first thing that came to mind, “I wanted to talk to you? But, never mind, you’re busy.” I gesture to her messy hands, starting to back away. 

She opens her mouth for a second, but closes it and looks down, nodding sheepishly. “I actually had a few questions, but you’re right. I’m a mess.” She gives a short laugh. 

“I-I could leave you my number.” I blurted, immediately embarrassing myself. I could feel my face wanting to turn red but I refused to let it. 

I didn’t want to look at her, but I couldn’t help it. I had to see her reaction. I recognized surprise, that’s for sure, but I also saw a hint of red on her cheeks. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not but I grabbed the whiteboard marker and wrote my cell number in the upper corner, just big enough to read from a foot away because I wouldn’t want Victoria to recognize it and call me out. 

“Oh, okay!” She shifted her weight, sliding the tote up her shoulder more. “I’ll text you, I guess.” 

I nod and turn around, walking down the hall unsurely. I could feel her gaze on my back and it made my limbs stiff with nerves and I suddenly felt like I was going to trip. I chanced a look back and she was, in fact, watching me, but I noticed a small smile on her face. I threw a hand up and waved at her before pushing open the doors and running down the stairs.

My heart raced in my chest as excitement made my hands shake. As soon as I get outside I take a deep breath of fresh air, my hands finding my pack of cigarettes. I stick one between my lips and do my best to light it. I let the smoke fill my lungs as I shake off the feeling left behind by Violet.

“Fuck.” I roll my shoulders back and shake my head, starting back to the boy’s dorm. I needed to lay down, my stomach felt fluttery and I hated it. And yet, I found myself admiring the smeared paint on my lapels. The purple and yellow improved it. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about how dumb it was to give her my number. She’ll probably never text me because I’m such a desperate loser. I stop walking. She had a bag on her arm and was covered in paint. She’s probably showering.

I turn around and sprint back to the girl’s dorm.


	6. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter, but enjoy ;)

I scrubbed my face and roughly washed my hair, pinching myself when I dragged the loofa across my body. I felt nervous and I knew it was because of my latest encounter with Nathan. I didn’t think I’d literally run into him again. And of course, it’d be when I was covered in paint. And of course, I got it all over his jacket. I wanted to wash myself down the drain. 

But he left me his number. (555) 874-2901. What does that even mean? What kind of questions does he have for me? After I told him about my lack of a love life, he came back and gave me his number. I’m probably just overthinking this entire situation. 

My stomach aches and I sigh in frustration. I hate feeling like this. I shouldn’t feel like this, Max warned me that he’s unstable and it showed in the parking lot today. 

But he apologized, my brain whispered, forcing me into two “what-ifs.” I mean, why should I let what Max says hold sway over how I perceive Nathan? I should give him the benefit of the doubt and see for myself if he’s unstable or whatever. Even if he was unstable, why should that matter? Mental health is complicated and it takes courage to get help. 

I hiss in pain as shampoo drips down into my eye. I run my face under the warm water and rub the burn away, thoroughly done with my brain’s overthinking. I put conditioner into my hair and let it sit while I shave. 

Dread settles my mood as I remember that Mr. Jefferson will be assigning a project tomorrow and partnering us up with someone from his other classes, hoping that we’ll all be like a family or some cheesy crap. 

“Shit!” My razor knicks behind my knee and I clench my jaw. What else can go wrong today? I rinse my hair and turn the water off, barely giving myself time to dry off before getting dressed and brushing my teeth. My hair already soaked my back and I huffed in irritation. I glare at my reflection as I notice a pimple starting to show up on my forehead. I put toothpaste on it and rub it in, cursing myself for not washing my face as often as I should. 

I gather my things and march out of the bathroom, narrowly avoiding a collision with Dan, one of my new friend on the cheer team, who “isn’t” dating Trevor.   
“Oh, sorry Violet!” She offers me a smile but it falters and she points at me, “You have… toothpaste on your forehead…” 

I sigh, “I’m getting a pimple.” 

She perks up, “I have this really amazing product for acne, you have to try it!” Before I can protest, she all but drags me to her room.

She immediately digs around in her dresser and I look around her room. The main color scheme is purple and pink and her wall is decorated with posters galore. She had the school banner up on her wall and a picture of the cheerleading team that was taken only two weeks ago. In the picture, I stood behind Dana, who was sitting on the floor. Her uniform is on the couch underneath the photo and has magazines haphazardly thrown on it.

A TV sits on a small bookshelf but by the dust on it, I’m guessing she doesn’t use it very often. Her laptop chimes on her desk but Dana ignores it.

“Yes, finally!” She whips around and a tube into my hands.

“Pimple-Be-Gone? It sounds like some weird infomercial they play at 3 in the morning.”

She laughs, “Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, but it totally works. Try it.” She holds out a hand mirror and I replace the toothpaste with the cream, which immediately soothes my skin. 

 

“Holy- where did you get this?” I rub it in a bit more. 

“From the gas station down the road from Two Whales.” She plops onto her bed and flings a magazine to the other side of the bed. She motions for me to sit on her couch. “By the way, I heard what you did for Trev. He said that you have major balls.” Dana shakes her head. “Most people don’t bother confronting Nathan, let alone talk to him, but you did. Why?” 

I shrug and sit down. “I don’t understand why people are so intimidated by him. He’s just a rich kid with anger issues, right?”

Dana raises her eyebrows, “With drug and alcohol issues, sure.”

“Well, he doesn’t seem that bad as long as he isn’t mad. He apologized for breaking my camera today.” I decide to leave out the part where he pushed me. 

“He broke your camera?” Her mouth flops open. “How’re you gonna fix that?”

“Mr. Jefferson offered to fix it for me as long as I entered a photo into the Everyday Heroes contest.”

“Oh, that’s nice of him. Have you gotten a photo yet?” 

I shake my head. “I’m lacking inspiration.” 

“If you haven’t been to the lighthouse already, you should check it out. You could see the bay and the entire town from up there, you’d have plenty of photo opportunities. Not to mention, it’s very romantic around sunset.” She gives me a small smirk and I laugh. 

“Sadly, I left my romantic partner in Alaska.” 

“Ooh, a boyfriend? What’s his name?” She rests her chin on her hand. 

I bite my lip, “Ex-boyfriend, technically. His name’s Roman. We decided it was best to break it off until we graduate.” 

“Did you love him?” She looks at me wistfully, immediately telling me that she’s also a hopeless romantic. 

I consider it for a moment. Despite our occasional arguments about date destinations and movie reviews, we didn’t argue that often. He teased me a lot, but it was good natured and we always laughed about it afterward. We went through a rough patch when his uncle died. Roman was closer to his uncle that his actual father and took it hard and I noticed that he had started distancing himself from me. He never told me why but I let him work through it and he apologized for his behavior. We were doing great when my parents moved us out of Alaska, so it was hard to say goodbye. 

“I mean, I’ve known him since we were small kids and we’ve always been best friends. Even if we didn’t date, we still have a strong friendship, so yes, I love him.” 

She smiles, “That’s so sweet. That kind of friendship is the best. So are you gonna be moving on and dating or are you gonna wait for him? Or maybe even stay single, a lot of women enjoy that.” 

I tilt my head and raise my shoulder in a half shrug, “If I meet somebody that strikes my fancy, I might try it out, but I don’t want anything serious.”

“I get that. Most high school relationships don’t make it past graduation. The ones that do, though, are special.” 

“You’re a hardcore romantic, aren’t you?” 

She laughs. “How’d you know?” She shrugs, “I’m just so in love with love. Having somebody that’s willingly a part of your life for the long term, someone that accepts the worst of yourself and loves you for you.” She pouts. “It sounds amazing. Like a fairytale.” 

Wow. That made me think of Roman… I never thought about how much he might care about me and hearing that, it really put it into perspective. “That does sound nice. It's kind of what every girl wants growing up watching princess movies.” 

She nods in agreement. “I know I always loved Disney movies.” 

“I really enjoyed talking with you Dana and thank you for letting me use this acne cream, but I’ve still got math homework to do before bed.” I stand and hand her the tube of Pimple-Be-Gone. 

She shakes her head and waves at me, “You can borrow it until it’s cleared up, just wash your face every day. Thanks for letting me chat your ear off, I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.” I thank her again and leave. 

I shoulder my shower tote and sigh. I’m exhausted, today’s been too long and I’m ready for sleep. I get to my door and I remember Nathan left his number on my whiteboard but it was erased. By who, I’m not sure, but I bet Nathan changed his mind. An unexplainable disappointment fills my chest and I frown. I felt a ball of emotion in my throat but I couldn’t name it and I wanted it gone.

I open my door and lock it behind me, tossing my tote into the closet and plopping at my desk. I stare at my math book and groan. I need sleep more than I need to pass calculus. I put my book back on my shelf and open my laptop to Facebook. There was a sketch of Max on Daniel Costa’s page and had over a dozen likes in just a few minutes. I clicked around and scrolled, not really taking in what I was seeing until I saw a post from Victoria. She took a picture with Nathan surrounded in a cloud of smoke. He was sitting on her couch with his eyes closed and he was slightly blushing. I couldn’t tell if he was smoking weed or a cigarette but if I had to take a guess, I’d probably say weed. 

I notice that Victoria had tagged him in the post and I clicked on it. 

Nathan Prescott   
1,013 Friends  
49 Photos

I opened his photo album to see pictures advertising the Vortex Club and shots of his friends. Victoria and Hayden were most prevalent but he also posted a few selfies. I enlarged one and it was taken in a mirror. He wore a white shirt and torn jean jacket. He had sunglasses tucked in his breast pocket and didn’t smile in the reflection. You couldn’t see his eyes because he was looking down at his phone while he took the selfie but I could see his sharp jawline and my a stone formed in my belly. 

I moved onto the next selfie and the caption sent photo creds to Victoria. It was a close-up and he was actually smiling. He was mid-laugh and had his head tilted up towards the sky. His eyes were closed and his eyelashes were long. His smile was large and his teeth were straight and white. I noticed with delight that he has dimples. I clicked onto the next and my breath left me. 

Nathan snapped a close shot of his eyes and he was using a high-quality camera, probably twice the cost of mine. He was staring into the lens with an intense gaze. His pupils were large and appeared to bleed into his iris, beautifully blending with the blue. I noted small strokes of grey adding to the cool tones. I liked the photo before I realized what I’d just done and my heart stops. I quickly unlike it and slam my laptop shut, completely mortified. 

We’re not even Facebook friends and I just liked a photo of his eyes. Oh, God. Oh God, what have I done? I squish my face into my hands and muffle a shriek of embarrassment. What will he think? My heart beats hard in my chest and I will it to stop, to let me breathe. I lean back and place a hand against my chest, inhaling and exhaling slowly. 

“It’s fine. It couldn’t have been an old picture.” I hesitantly open my laptop again and glance at the date it was posted. October 14, 2017. Last year. Last. Freaking. Year. “I’m an idiot.” I shut it again and stand. I smack off the light and flop on my bed, burying my face into my pillow. I felt the panic subside and acceptance settle beneath my sternum. I’m thoroughly done with today. I’m 100% ready to end it. 

I close my eyes and lay there, irritation heavy in my gut. 

Minutes pass. Nothing. This can’t be happening. After the day I’ve had, my body won’t let me sleep?! Where’s the justice? It felt like God was laughing at me. 

I even out my breathing and relax my spine, hoping that if I fake my body into sleeping, my mind will follow suit. I listen to the quiet hum of my mini fridge and let the warmth of my blanket swallow me. I could feel my limbs grow heavy like bags of sand and a thick fog settled in my head. It seemed like an hour had passed.

My phone rings and I groan, sitting up. Looks like sleep isn’t an option. I grab my phone and answer it. I recognize Max’s frantic voice on the other side, yelling about a tornado. 

“Violet, you have to come to the lighthouse! There’s a huge tornado heading straight for the town!” Desperation was clear in her voice and I became worried.

“What do you mean? If there was a threat of a tornado somebody would’ve caught it.” Right? “Are you at the lighthouse?” 

Max coughs, “Yeah, and you should be here too.” She gasps and breathes heavily. “I can see it. Oh my God, it’s too late.” The line crackles and the call drops. 

My heart squeezes in panic and worry. I quickly get dressed and grab my keys. I sprint across campus, passing oblivious cheerleaders and football jocks. Rain starts pouring from the sky and the groups hurry indoors. Good. I blink against the rain and look up at a gritty blue sky clear of clouds and I pause in bewilderment. Where the hell is the rain coming from? I ignore the niggling in my gut and hop into my Jeep, safe from the onslaught of water. I turn the heat on full blast and buckle up, glancing in my rearview mirror in horror. My eyes were completely white and my nearly black hair was a stark contrast to my papery skin. I could see veins underneath, wriggling around and pulsing. I scratch my face and look at my shaking hands, expecting to see horrifyingly veiny ghostly arms, but they looked normal besides the uncontrollable shaking. I look back in the mirror but my reflection was missing completely.

“What the fuck is going on?” I grip the steering wheel and convince myself I was just tired. I turn my mirror away without looking at it and start driving. I didn’t know where I was going, but my hands pulled the wheel on their own, leading me God knows where. 

Minutes later, I pulled up to a sign with an arrow labeled “Lighthouse.” I park and lock my car, jogging up the path. Rain assaulted my face and arms, turning my skin to ice, but I pushed through it. I had to get to Max. I approach a large clearing and the lighthouse comes into view. A small separate shack was located to the right of the lighthouse and an abandoned fireplace surrounded by empty beer bottles sat in front of it. A small ridge led to the entry of the lighthouse and that’s where I saw Max. She was standing near the edge of the cliff with a paper in her hand. 

And that’s when I saw it. The tornado. It was… huge. It sucked up water from the bay and spun mercilessly towards town. Hunks of junk flew through the air, splashing and crashing at the base of the cliff. “Max!” I attempted to shout over the thunderous shrieking of the wind but she remained staring at the force of nature. “MAX!” I ran up to her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at me.

Water streaked across her face and she shivers, soaked head to toe. She smiled for a millisecond before enveloping me in a hug. “Oh my God, Violet!” She yells over the din. “You have to believe me, okay? You need to help me!” She shoves the paper she was looking at into my hands, which was oddly dry despite the inescapable rain.

Max points to the Date. Friday, October 26th. But it’s only the 5th. “What’s going on, Max? Where did you get this? Why aren’t we evacuating town?” 

She shakes her head violently and her nose starts to bleed. “We can’t abandon these people, Violet. We have to save them! You have to save me.” She wrenches free from me and points toward the sky, directly at a large speed boat caught in the force of the tornado. The tornado spits it out and I watch in fear as it crashes into the lighthouse above us.


	7. Discovery

Something connects with my forehead and I fall to the floor, groaning. I open my eyes and shake the dots dancing in my peripherals. It was eerily quiet. My blanket lay tangled at my feet on the floor, my pillows thrown across the room. How did I get back here? I was just on the cliff with Max… And the tornado.

What the hell is happening?

I grab my phone and call Max’s number. 

“Hey, Violet, what’s-”

“Did we ever go to the lighthouse?” I was too freaked to give a damn about being polite. 

The other side of the line stays quiet for longer than necessary. “W-what do you mean?” Her voice rises in octave, making it obvious that she’s trying to play it cool. 

“So we did go to the lighthouse?” I look outside my window at the clear sky. “I... Are you in your room? I need to talk to you, I think I’m going crazy.” 

She doesn’t say anything for a moment but sighs, “Yeah, hold on.” She hangs up and I hear footsteps coming down the hall. I open my door and invite her in but I couldn’t help but notice how worried she looked. 

She gingerly sits on my bed and picks at her cuticles. “So what were you talking about?” 

A tight ball of anxiety forms in my chest as I recall the violent whistling of the tornado. “I’m not even sure, Max. I-I don’t know what’s happening to me, I think I’m going crazy.” 

“Just tell me, I won’t judge.” 

I hesitate. “I think I might’ve been dreaming, nevermind.” I turn away and look back outside at the sun. 

“You saw the tornado didn’t you?” She said it quietly but it seemed like she shouted it and I whipped around. 

“Yeah, I did. You too?” The ball of anxiety grows.

“During Mr. Jefferson’s class. I thought it was a dream or something but I’m starting to think it wasn’t.” She paused and looked at me. “What did you see?”

I plop into my desk chair and sigh. I retell my dream and I carefully watch her reactions. When I told her the part about the speed boat crashing into the lighthouse her eyebrows furrow and she looks away. 

“What is it?” I jiggle my leg with anxiety.

She shakes her head, “I dreamt that part too. It was scary realistic but you weren't there. It was only me. When I woke up, I found out I could reverse time but I guess it was a one time thing.” 

“So you haven’t tried since the bathroom incident?” 

She shakes her head. 

“Well, maybe we can do some research, but in the meantime I have things to deal with.” 

Her eyebrow quirks and she gives me a look, “Does it have to do with a boy?” 

I carefully mask my reaction and dismiss her question with a wave of my hand. “Nah, I’m just tired.” I really wasn’t. 

She makes a face like she knew I was lying, “Uh-huh, you know that Facebook lets you see what comments and photos friends like, right?” 

I could feel my face heat up at the thought of all of my Facebook friends knowing I liked Nathan’s photo. I take a deep breath and nod like I wasn’t dying inside. “Thanks for telling me, I didn’t know that. Um, I’m gonna go to bed now, so…” I gesture to my door. 

I could see how hard she was trying not to laugh as she closed the door behind her. 

I inhale deeply and refrain from face palming myself, I stand up and flick off my lights, rubbing my hands down my face. I wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep for a month. I felt a dull throb at the base of my head and lay down. Hopefully, sleep will get rid of this headache.


	8. Violet

I woke up with a dry mouth. I blindly grabbed for a water bottle on my nightstand and chug it, tossing it anywhere once it was finished. My phone beeps and I blink hard before reading the text. 

Max:   
7:50- Where are you?  
7:58- You’re gonna be late for class.  
8:01- You’re late.  
8:10- Are you okay? Should I be worried?  
8:12- Violet??   
8:16- Mr. Jefferson’s making us choose partners, you better hurry

“Fuck!” I hurry to get dressed, nearly falling when pulling my jeans on. I grab my bag and run out of the dorm. 

Birds chirped happily above campus as I run up the school steps and pass Principal Wells, who gives me a stern look for being late to class. 

I enter Mr. Jefferson’s class and manage an apologetic smile to him before sitting in my seat. 

“Nice of you to join us, Ms. Harper.” He motions to the board where pairs of names are written, “I’ve paired this class with my other class so find your partner and discuss the assignment. It’s due in 2 weeks.” 

I nudge my bag under my chair and glance up at the board, looking for my name. I notice that Max was unlucky enough to be paired with Hayden. I find my name and blanch. Nathan freaking Prescott. Of course, why wouldn’t I be paired up with him? It’s like God hates me. 

I turn to look at Max and she smirks. I sigh and droop into my chair. 

Mr. Jefferson gives Kate a pile of papers and asks her to pass them out, following her with a basket of markers. “You’re getting paper and a marker. I need you to write your partner’s name on it clearly.” He gives Pete a look, a kid that’s infamous for having unrecognizable handwriting. 

I thank Kate as she passes and pick up the purple marker. I quickly scrawl Nathan’s name and sit back.

Mr. Jefferson hops onto a table and claps his hand to get our attention, “Alright class, I didn’t tell you this because I hadn’t assigned partners yet, but I’m bringing in my other class for today to allow you to meet them and swap information and then I’ll give you the assignment.” He pushes his glasses up and looks at his watch, “In fact, they should be getting here in 5 minutes. So talk amongst yourselves until then.”

I get up and lean on Max’s table, “I’m fucked.” 

I could tell she was trying to hide her amusement as she pat my hand in consolation, “I’m sure he didn’t even notice you liked his photo from a year ago.” 

I sigh and close my eyes, “Shut up, you got paired with Hayden. Maybe you’ll get a contact high.” 

She groans, “It sucks, but not as bad as your situation. What do you think the assignment is?”

“No idea, but I’m guessing it has to do with taking pictures.” 

She smacks my arm, “No shit, Sherlock.” Her phone beeps and I grab it before she can look at it. 

“Ooh, a message from Warren. ‘Hey you still up to Go Ape this weekend?’ What does that mean? Are you guys already hooking up?” 

She snatches it back and glares at me, “No! It’s a movie marathon for Planet of the Apes.” 

“Mmhm, sure. Just put a sock on the door.” 

Her face glows red and the classroom door opens, letting in a loud cacophony of conversation. 

Mr. Jefferson shouts over the din, “Hold your paper up high so your partner can find you!” 

I give Max a look and I accept my fate. I hold up the paper and wait for Nathan. The room floods with people but I catch the red of a jacket and sink further into my seat. I could feel his gaze on me from behind the paper and I cringe. I hold my breath as he pulls up a chair and sits across from me. 

He grabs the paper from my hands, “Thanks. Some welcoming party.” His blue eyes wander the room and I release the breath. He didn’t bring up the photo. Thank God. 

Chairs scrape and the talking quiets down as Mr. Jefferson addresses the class again. “I’m glad everybody found their partners without difficulty.” 

Nathan turns around to pay attention and I notice the purple and yellow paint on his lapel still there. He said he was gonna replace it. Maybe he just hasn’t gotten to it yet. Yeah, that’s it, because if he liked me at all, he wouldn’t have erased his number. And fuck me for forgetting it. 

“So the assignment is to create a portfolio of only 10 photos. You will need to work with your partner to combine your talents. This is worth 50 percent of your grade and you’ll have to find time outside of class to get together. Now's the time to prep for going out and exploring.” 

Mr. Jefferson sits at his desk with his feet propped up and his phone in his hands. Nathan stands without saying anything and approaches his desk. I look back at Max and raise my eyebrows at her. She rolls her eyes and hands something to Hayden but nods her head toward Mr. Jefferson’s desk where both he and Nathan looked upset. 

Nathan whips around and sits back in his seat. 

I watch him for a moment before daring to speak. “So… what was that about?” 

He looks at me but his face was masked behind indifference, “I’m switching partners with Victoria.” 

Disappointment punches me in the gut and a strangely strong sadness fills me. “Oh.” I put on a smile. “Okay.”

“I’m fucking with you. It’s none of your business what I was talking about with him.” 

Relief floods my system and I shake my head, “Yeah, sorry. We should start the assignment though, if you’re not ditching me.” 

He rolls his eyes, “I already know you’re not gonna like any of my photos.”

I could feel my face heat up. Will he bring up the Facebook photo? “What do you mean?”

“...Nothing, nevermind.” 

I take out a piece of paper and write my number down, not giving myself time to second guess it and slide it across the table to him. “We’ll have to get together to do the work, so text me or something.” I shrug as if it weren’t a big deal and take out my camera. I decide not to mention the erased number. 

He tentatively takes it and programs it into his phone. My own phone buzzes with a text and I look at it. 

(555) 874-2901  
8:43- Hey, it’s your partner 

I stopped the smile that nearly gave me away. I added his number to my contacts and texted back a thumbs up emoji.

“Since we have no choice to do this, where should we start?” He leaned forward on his elbows as he looked at me. 

His blue eyes studied me and I found myself unable to process what he said. “...What?” 

His eyebrow raises, “Where do you want to go to take photos?” He enunciated clearly and I force myself to focus. 

“Uhh, what about the beach?” 

He waves his hand, “Cliche, everyone will go there.” 

“The forest?”

He shrugs, “A bit plain, but I’m sure we can work with it.” 

“How about the lighthouse?” 

His posture shifts and he becomes uncomfortable. “The lighthouse? Don’t you think others will go there too?” 

“Maybe, but that shouldn’t stop us. Nobody else will get the same photos as us, we just have to do better than everyone else.” 

He bites his lip and looks away for a moment but my eyes stay fixed on his lip. My imagination started to run wild and I pinched myself to bring my head back. 

“Sure.” His posture relaxes again and he leans back. “Let’s make a list of places to hit.” 

The rest of class goes by uneventfully and the bell rings, startling Nathan and I. 

He lingers before waving goodbye and leaving. I take a deep breath and tell my heart to calm down. A hand claps down on my shoulder and I jump. 

“How was it?” Max smiles cheekily. 

My face burns and I shrug off her questions, “I gotta go to the bathroom before class, I’ll see you later.” I hurry out of the classroom and down the hallway, keeping an eye out for a red jacket, but I guess he was long gone by now. 

I get to the bathroom and turn on the faucet to splash my face with water. The door opens and in walks Victoria. She gives me a fake smile as she gets in my personal space. 

“Violet, right? I noticed that you got paired up with Nathan.” Her eyebrow raises and her tone becomes skeptical, “How did you get Mark to partner you up with him? I promise I won’t say anything if you used… non traditional methods.”

Was she asking if I offered myself to have Nathan as a partner? What the fuck. “No, why would you even think that? Mr. Jefferson just put us together, I don’t know why.” 

She glares at me then. “Why wouldn’t he put me and Nathan together. You aren’t friends with him.” Her mouth opens a bit, “Or are you? He was asking about you yesterday…” She looks me over with disdain before pointing at my face, “You have drool on your chin.” She spins and leaves in a cloud of expensive perfume. 

I look in the mirror and die inside. She wasn’t lying. I had a bit of drool on the corner of my mouth and I groaned. Why didn’t Max say anything? I just have to get through the rest of my classes and then I can relax and destress.


	9. Violet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m writing this all in a google doc and I keep forgetting to update it on here, sorry xxx

My classes went by unusually slow but the final bell rang and released us, followed by a text. 

Nathan  
2:01- Meet me in the parking lot.

I was surprised to hear from him so soon but then I remembered our assignment. He probably just wants to go take photos. Even though it was required for us to get together, I was still excited. 

I hurry to the parking lot and look around for any sign of Nathan. It dawned on me that I have no idea what he drives so I don’t know where to look. I grabbed my phone to text him but a loud honk scares me and I turn around to see a red truck with Nathan behind the wheel. He smiles and nods to the passenger seat. 

Should I tell him that I have my own car? I mean, he’s offering, so I may as well save gas. I hop into his truck but I pause at the messy floor. 

“Sorry, just ignore that, I’ll clean it later.” Nathan frowns at the mess and I noted the lack of a console to separate us.

I buckle up and take my camera out, “Alright, so where are we going first?” 

He looks away with a pink face, “Well I thought we could get something to eat first. I forgot to eat lunch.” 

I clear my throat in elation, “Sure, I had to go to the Three Whales anyway, so two birds with one stone.” 

He nods with a small smile and starts driving. He turns the radio on, “You can pick whatever music you like, I don’t have a preference.” He presses his lips together as rock music quietly plays from the last time he turned it on. 

So he’s a metalhead. Why won’t he just admit it? I turn the radio up and roll the window down. If he likes rock, I’d be fine listening to it with him. 

He sighs and smiles at me, “You don’t strike me as someone that listens to metal.” 

I shrug and return the smile. 

 

Nathan parks at the Three Whales and he helps me out of his truck, releasing a flurry of butterflies. I thank him and open the door to the diner for him. 

Joyce waves at me as I enter and follow Nathan to a booth near the back. I was nervous as hell but I was also excited to hang out with Nathan, even if it was for the assignment. 

“What can I get y’all?” Joyce brings two waters and carefully avoids looking at Nathan. 

“Same as usual, please.” I sip the water and wait for Nathan to order. 

“I’ll just take a burger, thanks.”

“Fries?” 

He nods and Joyce walks away with a click of her pen. 

“Why are people rude to you?” I found myself asking.

He looks up in surprise of my boldness. “People will villainize anyone.”

He stares into his water and I take the opportunity to study him. His face was symmetrical and without a blemish. His eyebrows was slightly furrowed and his fingers quietly drummed against the table. The corners of his mouth were pulled down in thought as he looked up and met my gaze. 

I was flustered that he’d caught me staring but I didn’t look away. His blue eyes held mine and I wish I knew what he was thinking. He opens his mouth to say something but my phone rings. 

“Sorry, I should’ve turned the ringer off.” I look at the caller ID. 

Luke. I decline the call and turn the ringer down. 

“Who was it?” Nathan’s voice held a tone of curiosity. 

I shake my head, “It’s not important. I’ll just call them back later.” 

But Luke had other plans. My phone vibrates angrily and I snatch it up to silence it again. 

“Maybe you should take it.” Nathan’s lips pressed together. 

I hesitated but stood up to take his call. “Hey, Luke, what’s up?” I stood near the jukebox in the corner and put a quarter in to queue a song. 

“Violet!” Luke’s enthusiastic voice warbles through the phone. “I had a question.” 

I could feel Nathan’s gaze on my back. “Sure, shoot.” I chanced a glance behind me and sure enough, he was watching me. 

“So it’s not really my scene but I was wondering if you’d want to go to that Vortex club party with me.” His side of the line goes deathly quiet. 

I was definitely caught off guard. I’m pretty sure he’s not asking as a friend, but I could be wrong. “Um, sure, I could use a friend to go with since Max refuses to go.” 

His side stays quiet for a moment before it crackles, “Oh...Kay, okay, sounds great!” He says bye and hangs up. 

I turn my phone off and shove it in my back pocket just in time for Joyce to come out with our plates. 

“Oh, thank you Joyce but I can take these.” I take the plates from her with a smile and she chuckles. 

“Gettin’ ready for your first shift tomorrow?” 

“Yes, ma’am. You can never be too prepared.” 

I sit down and give Nathan his plate, grabbing my fork and stabbing the lettuce. 

“So you work here?” He asks around a mouthful of burger. 

I nod, “I only work 3pm to 8pm because of school, but Joyce says it’s not a grueling job so I can take on more hours if I feel like it.” 

His head bounces in acknowledgement but he points to my salad, “Don’t you get bored of that?” 

I shrug, “It’s healthy and it’s fresh. What more can I ask for?” 

“Taste.” He eats a fry with a snarky smile. 

I squint at him before grabbing a fry from his plate and biting into it. I felt immediate satisfaction as he looks at my lips with dark eyes. His jaw clenches and I smile, distracting him long enough to let him know that I noticed.

He clears his throat with a red face, sliding his plate towards me, “You can have some if you’d like, I don’t mind sharing.” 

I grin at him, “That’s sweet, thank you, but I’m alright.” I drink some water to hide my amusement. I nudge his foot with mine and pull back like it was an accident. His eyes dart to mine and lets out a breath, leaning back. 

“We, uh, never decided where to go first to shoot.” He focuses back on his food with tinted cheeks. 

“I know you said that the beach was a cliche, but it’s right down the road.”

He considers it for a minute before shrugging, “Why the hell not?” We finish eating and get back into his truck. Instead of sitting closer to the door like earlier, I scoot a bit into the middle, hoping to get some kind of reaction from Nathan. 

When he shuts his door he notices it and gulps. I buckle myself but pause when Nathan starts the engine. “What are you doing?”

He looks at me with confusion, “Going to the beach?” 

I raise my eyebrows at him, “Buckle up.” 

He frowns, “No, I don’t have to.” 

I turn to face him, “Yes, you do. It’s not just illegal but unsafe. Buckle up.” 

He sets his jaw and also turns to face me better, “No.”

I wasn’t backing down. “If you don’t buckle up I’m getting out of the truck and taking the bus back to the dorms.” 

His brow furrows and the corners of his mouth turn down. I could tell that he was weighing his options. It didn’t seem like he was going to budge so I click the seatbelt and open the door, completely prepared to go through with the threat. 

“Fucking Christ, Violet-” He grabs my arm, “Just-” He grunts and wrestles with the belt, clicking it into place. He holds his hands out, defeated, “Happy?” 

I close the door, “Thank you, that wasn’t so hard.” I buckle back up. 

“Why do you care anyway?” He had a glint in his eye as if he already knew the answer. 

And yet I shrug. “It’s important to drive safely.” 

He looks at me and he knew I was lying, but thankfully he drops it and starts driving.


	10. Nathan

Violet was stubborn. Maybe even more stubborn than me. I don’t usually give in when threatened, but the thought of Violet walking away because of a stupid belt buckle made my will crumble and I listened to her. Which was new for me because I rarely-if ever- listen to people. When I buckled up I saw the satisfaction on her face but she didn’t know how big of a deal it was for me to do what she asked. 

Now, she sat on the sand with her replacement camera, just relaxing. Her blouse and her hair blew in the gentle breeze. She was waiting for golden hour to take a photo of the sunset. I stayed near my truck and watched her in silence. 

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and I suddenly remembered the Facebook notification I got last night. Violet Harper liked my photo from a year ago. A photo I forgot about, actually. I was somewhat satisfied that she was curious enough about me to stalk my page. I didn’t want to embarrass her so I didn’t mention it earlier, but I might ask her about it someday.

“Nathan!” She shouts to me, not turning around.

“What?” 

She turns around and looks at me, “Why are you over there? We’re supposed to be working on this together.”

I squint against the setting sun, “I’m letting you take this one.” 

Her shoulder rise and fall in what I assume is a sigh but she doesn’t respond. The sun’s reflection bounces off the water and frames Violet in an orange glow. I quietly take out my own camera and kneel, hoping she doesn’t turn around. 

She raises the camera and sets up a good angle and I take the opportunity to snap a photo of her as she’s distracted. Thankfully, the wind carried the shutter sound away from her so she doesn’t hear it. 

“Got it!” She stands and jogs up to me to show me the picture. I thought she was going to take a picture of the sun but she captured its reflection. The water rippled, scattering the light as the sun illuminated the surrounding clouds in orange and red. I was honestly surprised at how good a shot she is, considering the beach is the most overrated place to take photos. 

“Do you like it?” She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked worried. 

I nod, “Yeah, I didn’t think I would, but I do. Good job.” She tries to play off the smile on her face but I could see her pride. 

“Now what?” She set the camera on the hood of my truck and leans against it with me. 

I didn’t want to take her back just yet but I didn’t think she’d want to stay for much longer. “I guess I take you back.” 

“Oh,” Disappointment was clear in her tone, “Okay.” Her eyebrows furrowed for a second. 

Maybe she doesn’t want to. “I could take you somewhere else if you’d like.” 

She shakes her head, “No, you’re right, it’s getting late.” 

“Okay, let’s go.” I open the passenger side door for her and help her up. I get in and back out of the parking lot. 

She didn’t sit near the middle this time and kept her hands in her lap like she was shy. I shouldn’t have said anything, I should’ve asked her if she wanted to go back before assuming that she did. At least we have to get together again to finish the assignment. Maybe I can make it up to her. 

Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. 

I drop her off at the front of Blackwell but she hesitates when getting out. She looks at me and smiles, “Thanks for taking me to lunch. Next one’s on me.” She hops out and hurries up the steps, waving goodbye before disappearing. 

A second later my phone beeps. 

Violet  
8:47- We should get together again, I had fun.   
8:48- Don’t forget to buckle up. 

I went back to my dorm with a smile. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I wanted to see her again, I wanted to know her better. Violet Harper fascinated me in a way no other girl has before. I couldn’t describe it but I felt drawn to her like if I didn’t figure her out I’d be missing out on the greatest thing to happen to Charleston. And I couldn’t figure out how I developed such strong feelings toward her when I met her only yesterday. 

I take off my jacket, momentarily touching the dry paint on it before tossing it over the arm of my sofa. I sit at my desk and plug my camera into my laptop, syncing the latest photos. I click on the photo I took of Violet. 

Her hair floated on the wind behind her and her spine was straight as she held her camera up to get the best angle of the sunset. Her figure was outlined by orange rays. I dragged the photo to my desktop to save it and close it again, sighing. 

I wasn’t sure if she wanted to get together because of the assignment or because she enjoyed my company. I hoped it was the latter but I couldn’t be sure until the next time I saw her. I wanted to text her to ask when we should meet up but I felt like that would be pushing it. 

For some odd reason, something Victoria said in my dream when I was passed out at the beach stuck with me and echoed through my head. I wasn’t paying attention to her and when she tried getting it she asked if I was thinking about Violet. I was confused because I had never brought her up and she told me to relax because she was my girlfriend. I didn’t think much of it since she tossed me out of her room after that but as I thought about it, I liked the idea of being that close to Violet. 

I started to imagine Violet’s face as she smiled at me. Someone to confide in, to trust and love. If only. I shake the fantasies out of my head and lay down, stuffing a pillow over my face. 

 

I roll over and nudge a warm body. I blink through my sleepiness and see a tangle of long brown hair. 

“Who the fu-” The woman moves and groans. She pushes her hair away and looks up at me with big brown eyes. Violet?

“Hey, Nate.” She smiles and sits up, stretching. She wore a cropped tank top that showed an expanse of smooth skin. I felt a tsunami of emotions in my stomach and my hands began shaking. 

She drapes her arm around me and drags me down to the pillow, smothering me with her hair. “It’s not time to wake up yet. Lay down with me.” She hugs me and lays her head on my chest, tracing a pattern into my shirt making the skin underneath prick up. 

“How did you get in here?” I keep my hands from touching her in case she dislikes it. 

Her giggle makes my blood pound, “You let me in, silly.” There’s no way this is real. 

I wanted to wake up now. I didn’t want to see her like this and feel her body on mine if it wasn’t real. It didn’t feel right. 

“No, this isn’t good, Violet.”

She leans on her elbow, looking at me with sad eyes, “What do you mean?” 

I separate myself from her and scoot to the edge of the bed, “You shouldn’t be here, this isn’t even real.” 

I gripped the bedsheet as her hands run up my back and around my shoulders. “I’m exactly where I should be, Nathan Prescott.” I could feel her breath on my neck as she whispers in my ear, “But if this isn’t real, don’t you think that it should be?” Her weight suddenly disappears and the room goes dark. 

 

I sit up breathing hard. I was soaked in sweat and I touched my shoulder where I swore I could still feel her heat. Her question lingered in my ear. I wish it could be real but I’m too damaged for Violet. She was a light in the darkness and I feared I would dim it. 

My phone screams from my nightstand, causing my heart to jump. I answer it immediately to silence it. 

“Where the fuck are you?” My father’s hostile voice greets me. 

I suppress a groan, “I’m at my dorm.”

“Your mother needs a doctor, call one and get to the house. Now.” Click.

Fucking hell. I tap the number I have saved on speed dial and wait for the doctor to pick up. I look at my clock as it rings. 2:33. I’d be surprised if the doctor even answered at this hour. 

The line clicks and someone yawns, “Hello, Nathan. What is it now?” 

“Apparently, my mother needs your help. I’m on my way to the house now.” 

I hear him sigh, “I’ll be right over.” Click. 

I toss my phone on my bed and blindly search for the light. I flick it on and groan as it momentarily blinds me. I grab a random pair of jeans from my closet and slip into a white shirt. I grab my keys and my phone before putting my jacket on and locking my door as I leave. Loud music filtered from Zachary’s room, barely covering the moans from whoever was in there with him. I’d hate to be his neighbor. 

By the time I get to my father’s house, the doctor’s car was already parked out front and the gates were locked up again. I enter the code to open the gates and the security lights turn on. From the driveway, I can see my father’s silhouette in the parlor window. As I park, the porch lights turn on and the curtains close. 

“Fuck.” I prepare myself before heading into the belly of the beast. 

As soon as I open the front door, I’m greeted with wailing from upstairs and a large scowling man. I vaguely acknowledge that he covered his grey roots again. 

“It’s about time you showed up, Nathan. Do you have any idea how much pain your mother is in?” Sean Prescott growled.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find my keys.” Besides, my mother always does this. This time is no different from the last dozen. I pass him and go upstairs to my mother’s lounge. 

My mother was laying on her duvet, sweating and cursing at Dr. Bill with whatever strength she had left. He had already set up an IV and was hydrating her. 

“Hey, mom.” I approach her. I stopped pitying her long ago, but the sight of her pale and weak almost made me feel bad. 

Her eyes open to an unfamiliar hazy blue, “Son,” She struggles to smile, instead, warping her features into one of pain. “You’re home.” Her lids slide shut again and she goes slack. 

“She took a few too many pills again.” Dr. Bill looks at her medication labels. He frowns and turns to Sean, “I never prescribed these. How did she get them?” 

He jostles with irritation, “She wanted something stronger so I gave them to her. It’s not my fault she used them irresponsibly.” 

Of course, he doesn’t own up to his own fucking mistake. One of these days, mom’ll be beyond help and he’ll still find someone else to blame. 

“Unless you want your wife to die, I don’t suggest giving her medication that I haven’t cleared.” He shakes an almost empty bottle of pills, “These react negatively with the other meds I prescribed. She could’ve died if I had waited until morning.” 

Hearing that, I was a little shaken at how close to death my mother actually came. I always knew it was a possibility but I never really thought about it for long and it disturbed me. 

I slide past Sean and head to the other side of the mansion where my old room was located. I close the door and lock it, shoving a chair under the handle as an extra measure. I take out my phone and dial a number I had memorized for emergencies. 

I hoped to whatever higher power existed that she answered. The line rang and I knew that if she was awake, she didn’t want to answer, but she does. 

“Hey, Nate. What’s wrong?” Kristine’s voice was quiet. I breathed a sigh of relief that she picked up despite turning her back on the family. 

“Hey, Kris… it’s Mom. It was close this time. I-I need help.” I heard the fear in my voice and I felt like the scared little boy I used to be. 

“Oh, Nate.” Her side of the line rustles and I hear a car engine turn over. “I’m on my way, just make sure Dr. Bill doesn’t leave her side and don’t leave her alone with Sean. I’ll get on the soonest flight, I’ll text you when I should get there.” 

I sniffled back the sadness that threatened to overwhelm me, “Thanks, Kris.” 

“Nate?”

“Yeah?”

She hesitates, “...I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”

I hold my tongue and opt for, “You too.” And hanging up. 

After a moment to get myself back together, I put my ear against the door before removing the chair and unlocking the door, going back to my mother’s lounge. Sean sat in a large chair with a glass of bourbon-his choice of poison-as he scowls at Dr. Bill. 

“Nathan.” Dr. Bill waves me over, “Do you think you’ll be able to keep an eye over her? I-I don’t think it’s best that she’s alone with your father.” He whispered the last part. 

I hesitate, for good reason. I didn’t want to stay in this house any longer than necessary but god knows what’ll happen if I leave before she’s better. Besides, I can’t get behind in school again and there’s no telling how long it’ll take her to get sober. 

I didn’t have a choice though. Until Kristine got here, I had to watch over her, even though she’s never done that for me. 

“Yeah, yeah I can stay. How long do you think until she’s okay?” 

Dr. Bill sucks in air through his teeth, “Maybe 4 days but I can’t be positive because I don’t know how many pills she took.” He takes out his notepad and makes a list, “Get these things and come back as soon as you can.” 

I read it and nod, heading out to my truck already.


	11. Violet

My classes went by pretty fast for a Wednesday. I had been looking at my phone all day expecting a text from Nathan, but I never got one. I was slightly disappointed but I told myself that he’s probably busy. 

So I decided to text him first.   
2:45- Hey Nathan, how are you doing?

I saw the chat bubbles appear as he types back a reply.   
Nathan:  
2:46- I’m alright.   
2:46- Are you busy tomorrow? 

I sat in the parking lot of the diner, waiting for my shift to start.   
Violet:  
2:47- No, what did you have in mind?

As I’m heading inside I notice a red truck across the road. It looked like Nathan’s but I couldn’t be sure. My phone vibrates.   
Nathan:  
2:48- I’ll tell you soon. 

Hm, cryptic. I open the door to the diner, the bells jingling above. Joyce was humming as she refilled coffee for an elderly couple. Trevor and Justin sat in their usual booth, feet up on the seats, when I notice a boy wearing a red jacket a few tables behind them. I felt a weird sense of deja vu as I approached Nathan. 

He was stirring sugar into his coffee as he turns. Upon noticing me, he smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. I wondered if he got any sleep because he looked tired and the bags under his eyes didn’t convince me. 

“You said the next one’s on you.” He looked at my waitressing outfit, “If you’ve got time before your shift?” 

I look around the diner. There weren’t a lot of people and I still had 10 minutes until I had to clock in, so I’m sure it’d be fine to sit down for 10 minutes into my shift. “Sure, I’ve got time. Same as yesterday?” 

He nods and I head to the back, tossing my purse under the counter and putting our orders in. I thank the cook and sit down across from Nathan. He stifles a yawn. 

“How much sleep did you get?” I was concerned with how tired he seemed.

He shrugs, “A few hours. I’m fine though.” 

I shake my head disapprovingly, “Why on earth would you stay up so late?” 

“It’s not like I chose to.” He grunts, frowning at me as I wait for him to extrapolate. He slumps a bit in his seat, “There was a family situation. I just stayed up all day instead of going back to sleep. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.” 

He waves it away, “It’s fine. I look like shit so it’s pretty obvious that I didn’t sleep.” 

I snap to get him to look at me, “Stop that. Don’t talk negatively about yourself like that, kids at school do that enough.” 

His eyes soften and it almost looked like he was smiling. Before he could respond, the cook shouts my name from the kitchen. 

“Always getting interrupted,” Nathan said it in a joking manner but I could tell that he had wanted to respond to what I said. I touch his hand to acknowledge that he had something to say before hopping up and getting the food. 

I balanced a plate in the crook of my arm, supporting it with my chest while holding the other plate with my hands and a strawberry milkshake in the other. 

I set the milkshake in front of Nathan and put the plates down, plopping a straw into the shake for him. 

He looks at it with confusion, “I didn’t ask for this.” 

I shrug, “I know, but it seems like you’re having a bad day. Besides, it’s on me.” 

He looks astonished for some reason. He quickly checks his phone and straightens up, looking at me nervously. “This might sound a little weird but can you meet me in the woods tonight? I know this amazing spot to take photos and I think you’d really enjoy it.” 

“So it’s for the assignment?” I took a bite out of my grilled cheese sandwich, watching him closely. 

His cheeks turned a light shade of pink, “I like hanging out with you, so I guess it’s two in one?” 

I’m hoping that because he’s blushing, he didn’t originally think of the project. “That sounds great. Will you be picking me up or should I meet you there?” 

“I’ll text you where to go.” He mumbles around a mouthful. 

Excitement flutters in my chest as I wonder where the place is. 

A loud crash comes from the kitchen following Joyce shouting my name. “Well, I guess I should get working if I want to get paid. I’ll see you late, Nathan.” I touch his shoulder and hurry to the back where a clutter of broken dishes lay.

“Please clean this up, I have to stay out front.” Joyce’s eyebrows were drawn down with stress. 

“I’ll get right on it.” She smiles at me but shoots daggers at the dishwasher. 

He sighs and hands me a broom, bending to hold the dustpan for me. “God, I’m such an idiot.” 

I sweep the broken pieces of ceramic into the dustpan, “How’d you manage to break all of these?” 

He looks at me with dull blue eyes, “I figured I could put the plates closer to the cook so it’d be easier for him but I tripped on the corner of the island.” He empties the pan into the trash. “My name’s Oliver, by the way.”

“Violet.” I sweep the smaller bits up and help him with the bag. “I can take it out.” I take it from him and he thanks me. I head out the back and toss the bag into the dumpster, pausing at a loud cough in the nearby alleyway. 

I look around the corner and notice a woman wrapped up in a blanket on pieces of cardboard. Her hair was nappy under a wool beanie and the wrinkles around her mouth told a story of happier times. 

“May I help you dear?” She didn’t sound upset, merely bored. 

“Sorry, no, I was just taking out the trash.” I noticed dozens of newspapers surrounding her, including this mornings. 

“Well do you have any food to spare? I had bits of bread earlier but that mutt over there gave me eyes, and you can’t say no to that.” She looked at peace with the discarded boxes as she gave a look to a dog on the other side of the fence. He was laying down and had a chain hooked to his collar, tethering him to the RV sitting there. His owner was nowhere to be seen. 

“I’m sure I could find something, just give me a minute.” I sneak into the pantry and put some fruit in a napkin and hide it behind some jars on the shelf. 

“Hey, Andy, I need a burger and extra fries.” He doesn’t even look up as he smacks the meat on the grill. 

I gather the fruit and some condiments before storing them in a box by the back door as I wait for Andrew to finish. I grab a bottle of water and thank Andrew when he hands me the plate of food. I head back to the woman and unload her food near her blanket. 

“Ah, thank you dear.” She chugs some water and sighs in content. “Sit for a bit. Unlike everything else in this town, this alley ain’t owned.” She waves to a piece of dry cardboard and I check my watch. I don’t have time to sit down and chat. 

“What do you mean by ‘owned’?”

She grins, “The Prescott’s, of course. They own people in this town, but they’ll never own me.” 

“Nathan Prescott?” 

She shakes her head, “He’s a little fish. Sean Prescott is who you gotta look out for. He’ll swipe the ground out from underneath you if you’re not careful. Hell, my children were taken from me because I scratched his car.” 

I absorb the information and lean closer in curiosity, “How could he do that? Nobody has that much power, it’s basically illegal.” 

She laughs at me, “That man inherited this town and he chooses to destroy anybody that stands up to his bullshit. He took me to court and told ‘em I was drunk and that struck a visit from OCS and they took my kids, saying I was an unfit mother. But now,” She taps her temple, “Now I see and hear everything. People overlook me like I’m nothing so I hide in plain sight.” 

“God, I’m so sorry.” I had so many questions but I only had time for one. “What have you heard about Nathan? Is he… dangerous?” I remembered the gun from the bathroom, which I’d tried so hard to forget about. 

She eats a grape and crooks her finger, motioning me to come closer, so I do. “That boy may not inherently be dangerous, but with Sean Prescott as a father, I’d be careful. He’s a ticking time bomb, but with help he could get better.” 

My chest tightened. Poor Nathan, I can’t begin to imagine how awful that must be. I kind of understood why everybody treated him like an outsider. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t know how or if he’d even want my help. 

“I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work now.” I back out of the alley as she hums to herself, picking at the label on her water bottle. I get back inside and charge my card with her burger, busying myself with menial chores. 

My phone buzzes, causing my heart to jump. Of course Nathan would text now. He sent me coordinates for tonight.

Nathan  
4:05- Meet me here around 8:30. 

I type out a message to send back.  
Violet:  
4:06- Okay, can’t wait. 

I had my reservations about meeting him in the woods but I wanted to know more about him now. There’s gotta be more to him than family issues and I wanted to find out what was underneath. 

The bells for the front door ring out and the diner fills up with a large group of kids from Blackwell. I notice Max near the back of the group, eyeing the rest with disdain. She sits apart from the noisy group and sits in a booth. Joyce gives her a hug as a girl with blue hair sits across from Max, looking bored. She wore a tank top and ripped jeans with a chain hanging from the belt loops. 

Joyce comes back and hands me Max’s order to give to Andrew. Was that the girl from the bathroom with Nathan? I bring a pot of coffee to their table and fill up their cups. 

“Hey, Max.” I give a pointed look towards the blue-haired girl. 

She heaves a sigh, “Violet, this is Chloe. I’ve known her for years. She’s the one who, uh, ran into Nathan.” 

Chloe nods to me in greeting but doesn’t say anything. 

“Did you tell her about the lighthouse?” 

Max nods. “I was able to prove it somehow.” She holds her hand out and rotates it but frowns. “I don’t know why it only works sometimes.” 

“Maybe you can ask Warren. He’s smart and he likes science, maybe he can figure out what’s up.” Andrew calls my name and I hurry to bring Max’s food to her. “I have to finish my shift but I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Wait, what are you doing later? Chloe and I are gonna go test out my powers later. You can come if you want.” 

My phone feels warm in my back pocket as I think about Nathan. I look at Chloe and decide against bringing him up. “Sorry, I can’t make it. I’ve got a lot of homework to do.”

Max’s eyebrows shoot up and she glances at Chloe, “Mr. Jefferson’s class?” 

“There are other things, too.” I escape the conversation by filling other customer’s coffees and taking my classmate’s orders. 

 

I was nervous about meeting up with Nathan. Not only because I enjoyed hanging out with him but because of things I haven’t quite dealt with yet, such as the gun. I mean, how does one bring that up in a conversation without sounding accusatory? 

Violet:  
8:45- I’m here, where are you?

I hear a branch snap behind me and someone taps my elbow. I whip around in anxiety only to find Nathan. “Jesus Christ, you scared me.” I grasp my chest to calm my heart. 

He smiles in apology, “Sorry. I hope you brought good walking shoes, it’s just a small hike to the spot.” 

He points into the woods and begins walking. I could hear owls starting to stir as they prepared for their nightly ritual of hunting down dinner. Crickets quietly chirped to each other, adding to the soft cadence of nature. 

As the trees got thicker, it got darker and more difficult to see the ground. I nearly stumbled a few times but managed to catch myself on a tree branch nearly every time. 

A bird swooped down from the trees and my foot caught on a root as it distracted me. I panicked and reached out for anything to stabilize myself when Nathan’s hand grabbed my forearm and greatly reduced my ungraceful fall.

He helps me back up and offers me his hand, “I forgot to mention that root.”

I hesitantly took his hand and my anxiety slowly ebbs away, “How do you know these woods so well?” 

He shrugs but doesn’t look at me as he responds, “I came here a lot when I was younger.” 

I wanted to ask him more about his childhood but the tingles in my hand heavily distracted. I held his hand a bit more firmly as I walked closer to him. It just felt better, for some reason. This was the closest thing to peace that I’ve had since coming to Oregon and I didn’t know how to process that. How could I have so much stock in a guy I officially met on Monday? And with such an intense upbringing, it didn’t seem like he would be capable of a healthy relationship, but I wanted to test the waters a bit more before deciding. Who knows? He might just surprise me. 

The trees started thinning and I could see the moonlight peeking through the trees as we came upon a clearing on a small cliff. Nathan looked back at me, squeezing my hand gently when I saw the blanket spread on the ground. A picnic basket sat in the center with a small portable lantern illuminating the area and a tripod was set up near the edge. 

“What is this?” I asked in awe. 

“I figured since you’re stuck with me as your partner, I could make it fun.” He sits on the blanket and holds his hand out, welcoming me. 

I wanted to sit with him so badly, but doubts crept into the moment and I felt awkward again. I had so many reservations and even more questions but I wasn’t going to interrogate him when he set up something so thoughtful. And I didn’t want to describe it as romantic, but the word fit impossibly well. 

Anxiety niggled at my heart as I took his hand and sat beside him. “You didn’t have to do this Nathan.” 

“I know but I wanted to.” He opened the basket and took out tupperware and forks. “Besides, I needed some downtime.” 

He gives me a container. I open it and laugh, “Salad?” 

He smiles, “I’ve noticed you like rabbit food.” I was touched that he went through all of this trouble for me, but something didn’t sit right.

“Why are you doing this?” I put the salad down and his smile falters, “We don’t know each other. We’re just partners for Mr. Jefferson’s class.” 

He doesn’t answer immediately, staring out over the bay where the moon softly reflected on the water. He sighs and looks at me, “I’m not sure. It’s weird… but I feel comfortable around you.” He didn’t explain any further but I kind of understood. 

“And what about the gun?” My stomach twisted but I had to know. I couldn’t handle him trying to kill somebody but I suddenly remembered where we were. How far my car was and how well he knew these woods. 

He gulps, averting his gaze. His jaw clenches and he angles his body away from me. “...All you need to know is that I haven’t used it.”

“Bullshit.” I don’t know where the courage to say that came from but I knew he was lying. He looked at me with surprise. “I met Chloe, I know you were threatening her.” 

Panic filled his eyes and he gave me his full attention, “What did she say? Whatever she told you, there’s more to it than she knows.” He genuinely seemed to care about what I thought of him and I felt bad for accusing him without hearing his side of things. 

“Can you tell me? If it’s serious don’t you think someone else should know?” But what kind of dangerous things can this small town harbor? 

He shakes his head, “Maybe someday, but not right now.”

I wanted to push it but felt I’d done enough damage already. “Okay, that’s fine. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed.” 

He grabs his camera and switches a few settings, “I can understand why you’d think the worse. I probably would’ve too.” He sets the camera on the tripod and angles it toward the moon. The shutter goes off and he smiles at the photo. 

He turns the camera on me and clicks it. “Hey! What are you doing?” I put my hand in front of my face in embarrassment. 

He wore a shit eating grin, “It’ll make for a good picture for the portfolio.” 

“No, that can’t go in there, it has to be a good photo.” I reach over to delete the picture but he holds it away from me. I gently smack his arm and glare at him, the tension from the conversation easing between us. “Delete it, now!” I couldn’t help but laugh. 

He shakes his head as he looks at my picture, “I gotta say, I kinda like this one. I’m a really good photographer.” He raised his eyebrow in challenge but I don’t give in. 

“Fine.” I sat up and grabbed my salad, “Keep it, I don’t care.” I took a bite and gave him a look of indifference but I felt butterflies in my stomach again. 

He put his camera down on the other side of him so I couldn’t grab it, “Maybe I will.”

The air around us had settled and we both relaxed as the songs from the owls and crickets float on the breeze.


	12. Violet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s kinda long, sorry :/

I had lost track of time, but I think nearly 2 hours had passed since Nathan brought me here. We packed up the stuff and starting making our way back to the cars. I made sure to hold Nathan’s hand again since it got even darker than earlier. The silence between us was comfortable and I felt peace walking through the trees with Natan, despite not having the answers I thought I needed. 

We came up to his truck first and loaded the stuff in the back. I headed to my Jeep but noticed Nathan still walking behind me. 

“What are you doing?” I asked with a smile. 

He shrugs, “I’m walking you to your car, what does it look like?” 

I laugh and shake my head, my heart dancing in my chest. “Thank you for tonight. I had fun even though I kind of ruined it for a bit.” 

He nudges my arm, “I mean, I’m down to do it again if you want to.” 

I felt sick from the bonfire in my belly, “Sure, it’s a date.” 

Nathan’s cheeks turned pink and he bites his lip, “Are you sure? You’re not gonna interrogate me again, are you?”

I cringed, “I’ll try not to.” I saw my orange Jeep and pulled out my keys but I don’t get in yet. 

I quickly lean over and place a small kiss on his cheek, catching him off guard. His face turns red and I notice him gulp. He clears his throat and smiles sheepishly, “I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow, Violet.” He hesitates before walking away with a huge smile. 

I take a deep breath to calm myself and get in my Jeep to drive back to the dorms. 

 

That night, as I was getting ready for bed, I got a text from Nathan.   
Nathan:  
10:56- What time should I pick you up? 

My heart raced in glee.  
Violet:  
10:56- I’m busy tomorrow and there’s the Vortex Club party on Friday, so what about Saturday?

I put my phone down to get my pajamas on when my phone rings. Nathan was calling me?

I answer it, somewhat confused, “Hey, what’s up?” 

“I’m sorry, I completely forgot to ask you earlier.” His side crackles as he adjusts the phone. “Would you go to the party with me? You’ll get VIP benefits, plus you get to hang out with me.” 

I start to respond, but he interrupts, “But it wouldn’t count as the date, unless you wanted it to.”

I thought about Hayden and Luke, who had both already asked me to the party, and I wondered why only Nathan interested me. I try not to dwell on it too long, though. 

 

“You know what? I’d love to go with you.” 

I could hear him sigh in relief, “Great, I’ll meet you outside your dorm so we can walk together.” 

I smiled as I thought about seeing Nathan again, “Sounds perfect. Goodnight, Nathan.” 

“Goodnight, Violet.” He hung up and I pressed my phone to my chest in anticipation. 

I plug my phone in and flick off the lights before getting in bed and relaxing into my pillows. 

 

I felt arms wrap around me from behind and I eased into the familiar embrace. “Hey, Rome.” I turned around to face him. Roman’s hazel eyes studied me. 

His lips purse as they usually do when he’s considering something. “Remember that I’ll always love you, no matter what.” I run my hand through his blonde hair and nod. He props up on his elbow to look at me better and leans down to kiss me. 

I melt under the smell of home and kiss him back, the stubble on his face tickling me as I gently tugging on his hair to bring him closer. His hand clutches my waist and slides up, brushing my breast and cupping my jaw when he pulls away, leaving me cold. 

I touch his face but it felt soft like he suddenly didn’t have facial hair and I open my eyes in confusion to blue eyes. 

“Nathan?” Despite the initial surprise, I didn’t react negatively to him being in my bed. 

“Hey, Vi.” He smiles sleepily. A tsunami scattered my brain as I noticed his lack of a shirt. I wanted to touch him for some reason, but I held back. But he grabs my hand and put it on his chest, laying down again, “It’s not time to wake up yet. Lay down with me.” 

I hesitantly lay beside me and he puts his arm around me. “How did you get in here?” I didn’t remember inviting him over. 

He hums, “You let me in, silly.” 

I felt like I was floating and my ears pounded along with a song I’ve had stuck in my head. “No… this isn’t right…” Something wasn’t right.

He leans on his elbow, looking at me with sad eyes, “What do you mean?” 

I sit up and throw my legs over the bed, heart racing suddenly. “You shouldn’t be here, this can’t be real.” 

I shuddered as Nathan slid his hands around my waist to pull me closer to him. “I’m exactly where I should be, Violet Harper.” His breath tickles as he kisses my neck and whispers, “But if this isn’t real, don’t you think it should be?” His warmth suddenly disappear and the room goes dark. 

I sit up, breathing hard. Hair stuck to my forehead with sweat and the blanket suffocated me. I stood on shaky legs and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging it with difficulty due to my hands shaking so badly. 

What the hell kind of dream was that? I imagined I could still feel his lips on my neck and my stomach did a flip. Was that even what I wanted? What about Roman? I glance at our prom photo and a picture of us a few days before I left Alaska. Roman’s eyes watched me and my skin pricked up in discomfort. I snatch the corkboard from the wall and shove it in my closet and the feeling of being watched eased away. 

I opened my window and let the air in. I immediately begin to cool down and I close my eyes, exhausted. I couldn’t stop remembering the warmth from Nathan’s body and the way my name sounded in his mouth. 

Don’t you think it should be real? 

I don’t know where the fuel for that dream came from but it made my heart beat faster as I thought of it. Fuck. I don’t think I’ll be able to act normal around Nathan after dreaming that. 

I close my window and get back in bed, hoping to not have another dream that left me yearning. 

 

My alarm went off and I got ready for class. Mr. Jefferson asked for an update on our assignments. He reminded us that he was picking a winner for the Everyday Heroes contest and called out the kids who didn’t turn one in, like Max and I. 

I had vaguely noticed that Kate Marsh hadn’t come in today and she never texted me like I thought she would.

Max pulled me aside after class, “You should come to the junkyard with me and Chloe. We’ve been testing it out and it works.” She wiggles her fingers, talking about her rewind powers.

It should be entertaining at least, even if it doesn’t work, so I agreed. She sent me the location and told me to meet her there after school. I trudged through the rest of the day and I was about to leave the school when I saw Luke with Victoria. I was startled to see them together considering they’re nothing alike. Victoria was glaring him down and Luke looked annoyed. 

Luke looks up at me and he frowns at Victoria, raising his voice and telling her to fuck off and storming past me. I was curious what they were talking about but I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask Victoria about it. 

So I took my phone out and started to text Luke but a gruff voice shouts at me. 

“Unless you’re here for swim, stop loitering and move on.” Head of security, David Madsen, scolded me.

I lowered my head and left, not wanting to get in trouble. I had to get to the junkyard anyway, so I put the address into my GPS and start driving. 

I may have gotten turned around a few times, due to the path being hidden by an overgrown bush, but I parked outside of a scrap yard where an old yellow and red truck sat. 

I got out and hear a pop of glass shattering and a loud whoop. I follow the noise and find Max smiling as Chloe danced around with a gun. 

“What the hell?” I backed up by instinct. 

“Shit, dude.” She points the gun up to the sky and takes her finger off the trigger, “It’s okay, I’m using it responsibly.” 

Max scoffs and gives her a look. “We’re testing out my powers. She sucks at aiming so whenever she misses, I rewind and tell her where to aim. We haven’t wasted a single bullet.” 

“This doesn’t seem like the best way to test it.” Broken glass was strewn on a table where they were shooting at empty beer bottles. 

Chloe shrugs, “It’s fun.” She nudges Max and nods to a car that teetered precariously on a ledge, “You point, I shoot.” 

Max grins, “The front tire. Maybe it’ll fall.”

Chloe laughs and raises the gun, “I like the way you think.” She squints as she steadies her hand. My gut was telling me to leave, that this was stupid. She fires the gun and it hits the rim, clanging loudly, and richotets back to her. She shouts in pain as it hits her thigh. She drops to the ground and yells at Max to rewind. 

Max’s hand shoots out in panic but nothing happens. “It’s not working!” 

“What the fuck do you mean it’s not working?” Chloe grasped her thigh in pain. 

My heart rate accelerated as I took in the situation. She shouldn’t be moved, we’ll have to call an ambulance. I hope to God there’s cell service out here. I pat my pockets and grunt in frustration as I remember leaving it in my car. “I’ll call an ambulance.” I run to my car and grab my phone from the center console when my vision distorted for a second. Chills run down my back and I pause. Everything was quiet. The wind that had been shaking the trees had stopped and it was eerily quiet. 

I stepped away from my car in discomfort but I snap myself out of it and dial 911. I ran back to Max and Chloe to see the former hugging the blue-haired girl, who looked a bit confused and… not wounded anymore. 

“What the hell…” I approached Chloe and looked at her thigh which was no longer bleeding. 

“You accidentally shot yourself.” Max murmured against her shoulder, taking a deep breath and releasing her. 

I stepped closer and stared at her thigh. I couldn’t understand how the bullet hole was gone now. I know what I saw but that didn’t explain why she was completely fine now. I could faintly hear the dispatch officer on my phone and I bring it up to my ear, “Nevermind, we’re good now, I think.” 

Max frowns at me, “Wait, did you call 911?” 

I nod, “Yeah, she’s bleeding- was bleeding-” I run my hand through my hair in confusion, “Please explain to me what just happened.” 

She opens her mouth but closes it and crosses her arms in thought. She points at me, “I have an idea, but it sounds kinda weird.” 

“No weirder than you being able to rewind time.” Chloe sits on a dirty lawn chair with a smirk. 

Max grabs an empty beer bottle and carefully smashes it on a broken fridge, “I’m gonna try to rewind, just stay right there, Violet.” She holds her hand out but nothing happens. She sighs and looks at me, “I’m gonna keep trying every 5 or 10 seconds. I need you to keep moving backwards.” 

I opened my mouth to ask why but she waves me away and rotates her wrist. I shake my head in bewilderment but take a step back every few seconds. I could see her arm shaking from about 10 feet away. 

She shook out her hand and waited for me to go further before trying again. I sped up a bit and just as I was going around an abandoned SUV, the hair on my neck pricked up and everything went quiet again. I watched the bottle Max smashed pull itself together and Chloe rose awkwardly from where she was sitting and walked backwards to Max. My breath caught in my throat and Max looks at me, equally amazed and confused. 

She drops her hand and the trees rustle as the air moves again. “That’s hella weird.” She starts pacing. 

“Yo, what am I missing?” Chloe frowns, throwing a weird glance at me as I came back to the clearing. 

“What does this mean, Max?” I had a pretty clear idea but I wasn’t sure if she was thinking the same. 

She shrugs with uncertainty, “What do you think?” 

“Well, that dream with the tornado sure seems like a good place to start. It was like your ability to rewind was muted or whatever when I was too close.” 

Chloe bristles, “What the hell are you guys talking about?” 

Max turns to her, “Whenever I rewind, you don’t remember anything before it happens. Like when you tape over a program on a VHS you can’t access the previous stuff, but Violet remembered when you accidentally shot yourself. She wasn’t affected by my rewind.” 

“And when I left to call an ambulance, she was able to rewind, so we tested out the range and I think I was like 20 feet away when it worked again.”

Max gasps and grabs my arm, “Does that mean you can rewind too?” Excitement fills her voice. 

I shake my head, “I doubt it. You found out about your ability when you got super stressed. I mean, you saw Chloe get shot.” By Nathan. 

She presses her lips together and fiddles with a loose thread on her sweater. “Yeah, I don’t think we should recreate that scenario.” 

Chloe rolls her eyes and sits back down, looking irritated, “Come on Max, we don’t have time for this. We have to go talk to Frank and figure out where Rachel is.” 

Rachel? “Rachel Amber? The girl that’s missing?” 

Chloe nods, “I put up most of those fliers and we have to go talk to this dipshit that sells dope.” 

Max picks up her bag, “I’ll see you later, Violet. Tell Joyce I said hi.” She waves and they head the opposite way, towards the train tracks. 

I get in my jeep and check the time. 2:48. Shit, I might be late. I speed to the diner and park near the alley where that homeless woman usually occupied but I didn’t have time to stop and chat. I rush inside and clock in just a minute before my shift started and sigh in relief. That was a bit too close for comfort. 

“There you are, Violet.” Joyce brings in dirty dishes, “I’m about to go on break, I need you out there.” 

I nod and put my hair up and tying my waitressing apron on, grabbing my order book and a pencil before attending to the customers. A cop sat at the counter sipping coffee and flipping through the menu.

I smiled, “Good afternoon, can I get you something to go with your coffee?” 

He looks up and squints at me, “Are you ready?” He clears his throat, “Cheeseburger, well done. Tomatoes, red onions, no pickles, mayo- only on the top bun, lettuce, not shredded, and sweet peppers. Fries with a side dip of mayo and ketchup, but don’t mix them. And can I get a strawberry milkshake? Oh, and a doughnut with sprinkles, please.” 

I click my pen, “Alright, it’ll be about 10 minutes.” I hand Andrew the order and move onto the next table. 

As I rush to and from the kitchen with orders and dishes, I get into a manageable rhythm when Joyce returns from her break. She pats the cop on the shoulder with familiarity. It was always nice to watch Joyce interact with her customers and because she’s always so cheerful but sassy, everybody loves her. 

“Oh, Joyce,” I pause from wiping down a table, “Max says hi.” 

She smiles, “Ah, that girl is so sweet. I wish she’d come around more often.” 

I tried to give all of my attention to the customers but I kept picturing the beer bottle pulling itself together. How was such a thing even possible? I wanted to deal with it as soon as possible but I had other responsibilities, not to mention I’m going to the Vortex Club party tomorrow. 

I freeze in panic. Shit, I don’t have anything to wear for a dance. My mind scrambled to match clothes in my closet but nothing I could think of was acceptable. I could ask Dana, we’re about the same size. I quickly pull out my phone and call her. 

“Violet! What’s going on?” Dana’s happy voice came through my phone, along with loud music.

I hid in the back to talk to her, “Are you going to the dance tomorrow?” 

“Duh, isn’t everyone?” 

“I’m sure there’s people not going, but anyway, I was hoping you’d have something I could borrow because I don’t have time to go buy something tonight.” 

The music gets turned off, “You’re actually going?” I could hear the excitement in her tone, “Are you going alone? Do you need some friend to go with, because Trev and I would totally hang with you.” 

“Well, I’m actually going with somebody already, I just don’t have anything to wear.” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to reveal who I was going with. 

“Hm, okay. Just come knock on my door whenever you’re available. I’m sure we can find something that’ll work.” 

“Awesome, thank you so much, Dana. I owe you.” 

“It’s fine, we’re friends. I gotta go, Trevor’s being stupid again.” 

I can only imagine what he’s doing this time. I remember the first time I met him, he had messed up a trick on his skateboard and fell down the stairs. “Okay, I’ll see you later.” 

I hurry back to work, acting like I never left when the head of security at Blackwell comes through the door. David Madsen notices me and squints suspiciously, but relaxes when he notices my work attire. He sits at the counter and waves me over. 

“Black coffee.” He grunts as I fill up a cup for him, “And grab Joyce for me.” 

As I take a few dishes into the back, I tell Joyce that David Madsen was looking for her. Her face lights up and she grabs a plate of steak and mashed potatoes, going to the front. I follow her out of curiosity and balk in surprise as David pecks Joyce on the cheek, giving her a short hug. 

“Hey darlin’,” Joyce sets the plate in front of him, “How was work?” 

He smiles adoringly at her, “Oh, you know how it goes. I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing.” 

I back into the kitchen and push the scene out of my head. I busy myself with putting dirty dishes near the sink for Oliver, the dishwasher, and helping Andrew put plates together to bring them out to the customers. 

As I’m walking past David and Joyce, I overhear Chloe’s name. 

“How’s Chloe?” Food muffles David’s voice. 

“You know her. She’s as stubborn as a mule.” 

He laughs heartily, “Yeah, well she takes after her mother. I swear, you and her are two peas in a pod.” 

Is Chloe… their daughter? I never would’ve guessed. 

As I start to bring dirty dishes to the back, Joyce calls out to me, “Violet, great job today, you can head home.” 

“Thanks, I’ll just put these away before I leave.” I drop the dishes in the sink but Oliver was nowhere to be seen. I turn to Andrew and ask where he went. 

He shrugs, “Could be anywhere. If you haven’t noticed, the kids a bit squirrely. Either fidgeting and misplacing the damn dishes or texting and looking over his shoulder. Real suspicious if you ask me but Joyce won’t do anything about it.” 

A bit more information than I cared to know. “I just noticed that the dishes were piling up in the sink. I’ll see you Saturday, Andrew.” I hang up my apron and grab my purse from under the counter, waving to Joyce before hopping in my Jeep and driving back to Blackwell.


	13. Nathan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it’s a bit of a mess, it’s 5:23 am and I’m super excited to write the party scene

A quick couple of raps on my door and it opens. 

“Nate? You here?” Kristine’s voice came quietly from the other side. It was nearly 9 o’clock at night and I had gone back to the family estate to watch over our mother while Kris went running errands. 

“Yeah, come in.” I push my calc book away, delighted for the distraction. 

My sister shut the door behind me and awkwardly looked around the room. It was obvious how much her guilt weighed on her. 

She smiles as much as the strain of back allows her and steps closer, “How’re you doing?” 

I shrug, “How good can one be in this kind of situation, especially considering who allowed it to happen.” 

Her nose flares in anger as she thinks of our father. “I’m such an idiot, I should never have left.” She shakes her head as her ire deflates. She looks at me with sadness and sits on the corner of my bed, facing me. “Nate, I’m so sorry I left you here. I shouldn’t have done that and I totally understand if you don’t forgive me. I just… Brian offered to rescue me and I took it without even thinking of you.” 

I shrug like her words didn’t open an old wound on my heart, “It’s in the past, I don’t want to talk about it.” 

She reaches forward, desperate for me to understand, “It was so hard for me to come back here, Nate. I’ve been making an actual life for myself the past 3 years and when I got your call I got scared because I didn’t want it to fall apart.” She holds out her hand to show me a ring, “I mean, Brian proposed just 2 months ago. Things were looking up but even 3,000 miles away, Sean still got me.” 

I was surprised that she was engaged. But I was hurt that she didn’t tell me until now. The hurt turned to anger as I thought about how she abandoned me and mom, “Do you know how bad it got when you left? Do you know what mom has been doing to herself? Sean was fucking pissed and he took it out on us- on me.” My shoulder started aching and I decided to throw all my cards in, “He blamed mom for you leaving and he started pushing her around. He threw her down the stairs and I tried to stop him. Know what he did? He dislocated my shoulder and broke my collarbone.” I could feel tears falling down my face now but the rage and hurt mixed together in my sternum and made my skin tingle, “You’ve been off living this perfect little life while mom and I have been taking Sean’s abuse and you can’t even call to tell us that you’re okay or that you’ve gotten engaged.”

I exhaled shakily and I noticed that Kristine was crying too. She opened her mouth to say something but I shake my head and turn away. Whatever she had to say would only make it hurt worse. Thankfully, she remembered my stubbornness. If I didn’t want to talk about something, that was it. She’d always say I was stubborn to the point of stupidity. She stands and quietly leaves, sniffling as she shuts my door. 

Pent up emotions rise up inside me and I stuff my face into my pillow and scream, digging my nails into my palms until it hurt. I scream until my throat was raw and I cried until exhaustion took over. 

 

I woke up to rain pattering outside my window and I check the time on my phone. 12:39 and 7 text messages. 

Victoria:  
8:45- Where are you?  
9:13- I have more info about Violet Harper if you’re interested.  
9:57- I hate my partner in Mark’s class, I wish we could be partners instead.  
10:32- BTW I’m almost positive that I’m winning the Everyday Hero contest.  
11:09- Are you ignoring me or hungover?  
12:21- Should we match for the party? I was thinking of a mauve theme.

Violet:  
7:54- Good morning Nathan. 

I smile at the text from Violet. I was surprised that she was able to lift my mood with such a generic text. 

Nathan:  
12:41- Good morning Violet. 

I get up and get dressed. If I wasn’t going to school I could at least figure out what to wear tonight. I didn’t plan on matching with Victoria since I was hoping to be around Violet all night. My phone dings with a new message. 

Violet:  
12:43- It may be your morning, but for the rest of us it’s afternoon.  
12:43- What are you wearing tonight?

Nathan:  
12:44- Not sure yet, I’m looking now.  
12:44- Any suggestions?

Violet:  
12:45- You mean you trust my judgment enough to pick your outfit?

I laughed out loud.  
Nathan:  
12:45- Why not, could be good. 

She doesn’t respond right away so I grab my car keys and quietly hurry to the front door, sneaking out to my truck. I don’t waste time getting out of the driveway and gun it away from the manor. 

My phone vibrates and I glance at it.  
Violet:  
12:50- I actually really like your red jacket. Those yellow and purple spots really improve it. 

I subconsciously touch the paint on my lapel and smirk. I don’t text her back until I park outside of Blackwell. 

Nathan:  
1:03- Can you meet me in the dark room after school? I need to develop a few photos and then we can start our portfolio. 

I grab my camera and I make my way up the steps inside the school, passing Mrs. Grant’s class and open the door for the dark room. 

I take out my phone and text Victoria back.  
Nathan:  
1:07- I’m going to the party with Violet so no matching.

She responds almost immediately.  
Victoria:  
1:07- No, she’s going with Luke.

It felt like a punch to the gut when I read that. That didn’t make sense because why would she say yes to going with me if she had already planned on going with Luke, of all people. My cheek tingled as I remembered her kiss and I frown. Victoria’s sources are either wrong or Violet was playing the field. I hoped she wouldn’t be like that but I couldn’t be sure unless I asked. 

As if by fate, Violet responds with a thumbs up emoji. I sigh and take out the film out of my camera, stretching it out and clipping it up. I counted the photos and looked at the photo of Violet at the beach. It was stupid how affected I was by her and I wanted it to stop. Being vulnerable meant it would hurt when she left. The only person I’ve ever been able to be vulnerable with was Victoria and she’s been the only constant person in my life that hasn’t tried tearing me down. 

It was different with Violet. I wanted more than friendship with her, unlike Victoria, and I felt comfortable around her. Like I could be myself and she wouldn’t judge me. At least, I hope she wouldn’t judge me.

I text Victoria back.  
Nathan:  
1:10- I gotta go, I’ll talk to you later. 

She hated it when I did that to her but I didn’t want to continue that conversation. 

 

I hung up the photos by clothespins and readied the station for when Violet came with the beach photo. The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and I waited for Violet. 

The halls fill with loud students and I hear lockers slam as the doorknob to the dark room jiggles. It starts to open but they get distracted and shut it again. I frown in confusion and peek outside. Most of the students have already left but I saw Violet talking with Luke. I could just barely hear their conversation. 

“So do you want me to pick you up for the party later?” Luke raised his eyebrows suggestively. So Victoria was right. My sternum fills with disappointment.

I could see by Violet’s posture that she was uncomfortable, “Oh, uh, something actually came up. I won’t be able to go, I’m sorry.” 

His face falls and turns red out of embarrassment. “Oh, okay. I guess I’ll talk to you later then.” He doesn’t wait for her to respond and walks away. 

I let the door close quietly and pretend to hang up a photo as Violet comes in. 

“Hey, Nathan.” She drops her bag and takes out her camera. 

“Hey, is everything alright? You look stressed.” I wondered if she would tell me what happened or not. Hopefully she’d explain why she had two dates to the party but I doubted she’d be that open about it. 

She breathes in and grimaces, “Yeah, my friend just had a question and it was kind of awkward. Nothing to worry about though.” She puts on a smile and holds the camera out. “We’ve got work to do.” 

It was a half-truth but I was glad she told me. I still had to watch out for Luke, though.

She pops out the film and hands it to me but I don’t take it. “What are you doing?” 

“I’ve never developed my own photos.” She looks self-conscious so I take the film and smile. 

“No problem, I’ll show you how.” 

I can see her gulp even in the red lighting. “Thank you.” 

“I already measured the chemicals so we need to put the film here to enlarge it.” I point to a machine and slide the film underneath, pulling the viewer higher to fit the page. 

I could see Violet looking at me from the corner of my eye and I suppress a smile. I glance at her and she quickly looks away, nodding like she was paying attention. 

I flick it on and the image displays on the paper. “Now, we have to position it so the full image fits on the paper.” I point to the knobs and move a bit to let her try it out. 

She reluctantly steps closer and fiddles with light exposure and sharpness. She gets the hang of it after a second and fixes it to her liking. “How’s that?” She bites her lip as she studies it. 

I look at the spot where her teeth met her lip and I nod, “It’s good. I like it.” She looks back at me and lets her lip go, taking a shallow breath. 

I felt a fire in my belly as she briefly looks at my lips, turning her head and hiding her face behind her hair. I clear my throat, suddenly noticing how close she was. “Uh, now we can put it in the developer. It has to go in all at once and you have to rock it back and forth to get it soaked.” I help her pick it up and lay it flat in the bin of chemical. 

She slides it back and forth, gently sloshing the liquid over the paper. She looks up at the photos I developed earlier. I remember a bit too late about the beach photo but there’s nothing I can do to prevent her from seeing it. Her eyes land on it and her eyebrows furrow.

She lightly pushes me out of the way to get a better look at it. “When did you take this?” It was still developing so you couldn’t see the surroundings very well but the subject was clear. 

I could feel my face getting warmer but due to the red light, she wouldn’t be able to tell. “At the beach. You were taking the photo and it was a great shot, so I took it.” 

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking but the small smile on her face brings me relief. “I like it. I’m a model now.” 

“I mean, you’ve definitely got the looks for it.” The words left my mouth before my brain caught up and I realized what I said. Fuck that was really forward. 

She tries to stifle the smile and chooses to bite her lip instead. The intensity of the fire in my belly grows and the urge to kiss her was so strong I had to pinch my leg to distract myself from the temptation. 

I focus back on developing the photo, shifting the liquid. “Alright, it’s done. Now we have to put it in the stop bath to get rid of the chemicals.” She leans in close to see what I was doing and it takes a lot of concentration to stay still. 

I use the tongs to pick the photo up and slide it into the stop bath. “In like, 10 seconds, you have to put it in the fixer so that when it dries it’ll be light-resistant.” I hand her the tongs, “Do what I did and shake it in this bin and then we leave it for 2 minutes.”

She waits for a moment and gingerly picks up the photo, letting the solution drip for a second and dropping it into the fixer.

“Perfect. You’re a natural.” I lean on the table, facing her. 

She beams from the compliment. I started wondering why she was here. I know she had to develop the photos for the project but she chose to be here, chose to go to the party with me. 

“Quarter for your thoughts?” She pulls a quarter from her pocket as she suppresses a grin. 

I raise my brows, “What happened to a penny for your thoughts?” 

She shrugs, nonchalant, “Inflation.” 

I laugh abruptly, the tension from wanting to kiss her evaporating. “I love that.” I shake my head, “All I was thinking about was the Vortex Club party tonight.” 

“Yeah?” She looked nervous for some reason. Could it be possible that I affected her as she affects me? 

“You could’ve gone with anybody but you chose to go with me. Why?”

She looks down at her hands, picking at a nail. “I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you-” Of course. “-but I didn’t want to assume anything and since Monday, I’ve seen more and more of you. I just… I want to get to know the real Nathan because I know there’s more to you than what others say.” 

Oh. I didn’t know what to say. My heart tugged and I felt an urge to hug her but I grab her hand and bring it up to my lips, kissing her knuckles and watching her reaction. “Thank you.” 

If the lights weren’t red, I assume I’d see a shade of pink in her cheeks as she gulps and glances at my lips. I could feel that she wanted something but I didn’t want to kiss her and be wrong. I drop her hand, regretfully, and shake the bin. “Okay, it’s ready. Now it has to dry, which takes 24 hours.” 

She used the tongs to pick it up and stands on her tiptoes to clip it to the wire. “Okay, so what if someone walks in? What if they take our photos down?” 

I slide a key from the counter, “We lock the door behind us.” 

She looks surprised, “How’d you get a key for the darkroom?”

I shrug, “It’s a secret.” I didn’t want to tell her the truth yet. 

“Okay, keep your secrets then.” She grabs her bag and opens the door. “Let’s go.” 

“Go where?” 

“Somewhere to eat. I’m betting you didn’t have breakfast.” She grabs my hand and pulls me along with her. “I’ll drive.” I readily followed her.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed, if you did tap on that kudos button and leave a comment, it's much appreciated. Thank you for reading and I'll be sure to keep posting.


End file.
